Training Streak: Day 83

6:15AM

Tempo Run

That brick is affecting me a whole lot more than I thought. This morning my legs still felt heavy even though I was wearing my running flats. I did a quick mile warm up followed by a tempo run. The tempo run consisted of me doing a mile and a half where I brought it up to race pace on every straightaway. Despite the sluggish beginning, my legs started to loosen up and I started to work in some times close to pre-injury. I still have a ways to go but I like the way I'm progressing.

I followed this run up with another ice bath and compression socks. I think I've done all that I can to prepare my body for the 10K. I know I'm not hitting it too hard but I still have to be conscious about listening to my body.

Training Streak: Day 82

6:00PM

Team Intensity Swim

Man! Another tiring swim. This is getting repetitive.

As with the last several swims I found myself fighting my mind to continue. I even sat out a couple of laps just to stay with my group (I made them up in the end).

Today though my body physically told me to stop. I cramped in my right hamstring which has never happened to me before. Its weird in the water I've gotten cramps in my calves and even my toes. I guess it shows how intense swimming can be! It can be pretty scary in the water but the key is not to panic.

The positive news is my swim stroke is really improving. I can tell because I've gotten my stroke count down significantly with some swim golf. I also can't be too hard on myself about feeling beat, last night's brick was tough and I did move myself up a couple of swim lanes today.

Training Streak: Day 81

6:00PM

Hard Brick

THIS WAS A TOUGH WORKOUT.

We did an 8 mile bike at race intensity followed by a 2 mile run while still maintaining race intensity. For one this was a pretty tough workout but if I had to dissect it I'd say taking too many chances on the bike wore me out.

We had about 30+ people out there so drafting was going to happen. I was with the second fastest group and on several occasions tried to outrun them. As Coach Tyler would term it, I probably just wasted too many of my bullets on the bike. If I had just taken what the situation gave me and just drafted the entire time I probably would have been able to stay with the first group.

All the wasted energy on the bike made my run pretty challenging. It didn't help that this was the second brick I've done this season. It took quite a while for me to even get started but once I did I felt like I was lifting dead weight for that first mile. Eventually I got my legs turning that second mile.

Overall I'm really happy with how I performed today. I know I'm much stronger today than yesterday because of the challenge.

Training Streak: Day 80

I've been getting behind on several things so I'm going to switch back on the original format of the training streak for now.

6:15PM

Trail Run

I wanted to establish that I had a good base for this weekend's Monument 10K. As I said before I don't plan to run the race as hard as I can as I don't think my legs are ready for that yet. Instead I'll be pacing a fellow teammate through the race.

This was a fun run. I went around Deep Run Park twice. The first loop I remained overly cautious trying to avoid roots and just get my body warmed up. The second loop the sun was setting and I wanted to take more chances. I didn't work myself too hard but the trail terrain did serve as a good challenge. I think I did about 5 miles.

I'll be ready for Saturday.

Day 79: Best Trainer Ride Ever (Go Rams Go)!

A lot of hoopla has been made about VCU not deserving to be in the tourney. I'll admit, even though I was a season ticket holder last year I still had my doubts.

All of the talking heads said at the end of the day, if you look at VCU's resume prior to the tourney they didn't deserve to be included. Just like when hiring for a job position there is only so much that words and numbers on paper can tell you. Resumes often don't answer the most crucial questions.

What is their quality of leadership? How well do they work as a team? How do they perform when their backs to the wall? Most importantly, do they learn from their mistakes?

There were several games this year where VCU had a lead and somehow lost it in either the second half or last minutes of games. That was the poor defensive team. That was the team that didn't belong in the tourney. But they've learned from their mistakes, made adjustments, and improved in areas where they were weak. That's the kind of team I'd want in the tourney. The one that continues to get better and learns from its past misfortunes. Not the ones that peak early in the year only, get their number one seed, and then get bounced from the tournament.

2:30PM

Trainer Ride

This substituted for my long ride of the week. I put my bike in the trainer and just watched the VCU game. It was a fantastic ride. When watching the frantic pace VCU had on defense and offense during the first half I could not help but feel ultra energized for my ride. Usually I get bored while watching a movie while on a trainer. Not today. Great job Rams!

Day 78: Quickening Recovery

I've really been trying to get back into running. My goal is to be ready for next weekend's 10K. I don't plan to race it but to help pace (a zone 3 effort) someone through the race. My first race (all out effort) will actually be the following weekend.

In order to get the appropriate miles before the race I've been doing some extra stuff to expedite my recovery between runs.

• Stretching and Yoga - self explanatory
• Muscle massage - after just about every workout I massage my leg muscles with the stick to "reduce muscle soreness, stiffness and pain"
• Ice baths - I do these after every run I consider to be intense. My first year of running I used to only save these for when I did 10 miles or more but since I'm just getting back into running I have to do this for our intensity workouts and when I'm increasing the mileage.
• Compression socks - I wear these throughout the day to continue and improve the circulation in my legs.

So far all of this has helped. The days I don't do a combination of these measures I can really start to feel the muscle soreness associated with running.

9:00AM

Run

I had a lot of activities to attend today so I had to squeeze this in the morning. I ran my old route that I used to train for my first 10K. Its just a 3 mile run but it has several big hills and steady declines. I like it mostly because of the challenge of the hills.

The run went well. I was able to maintain a sub 8 pace even during the sections with the big hills. My breathing wasn't where I wanted to be but I suspect this was because of the colder temperatures outside. I'm going to go for a long run on Monday and see if I'll be ready for the 10K or not.

Day 77: Another Tiring Swim

The entire week I've been out of it. I think its probably because I'm just getting back into running and my body is adjusting to the new activity.

6:40AM

Optional Intensity Swim

I did not want to get out of bed for this one. Fortunately I had Marco to motivate me to get out of bed and get the workout done.

The swim was especially tough considering how worn out I've been. I think the technique drills alone took us about 30 - 40 minutes. Then we had the main set which was 10 x 100s fast. I think after the second one the doubts started to creep in my mind. I was able to overcome these and still finish the workout. I think we swam somewhere around 2000+ meters.

Its crazy to think about how far I've come with my swim. A year and a half ago I could barely swim a length. A year ago I would sometimes take myself out of swim workouts early because I didn't think my body could handle it. Nine months ago I would not do our entire open water swims because I couldn't imagine myself swimming continuously swimming for that long. Now I've conquered all those fears and doubts, but its cool to remember that it all started with one length of the pool.

Day 76: Run is Progressing

6:00AM

Team Intensity Run

Today, was the first time I participated in the entire team run workout. I had been held back the past couple of weeks because I had just gotten back from injury. Overall my legs feel good. They can't handle some of the paces that I hit last year but I do understand that I'm still rebuilding my run base.

Speaking of run bases, did you see this post by Anton Krupicka? He had to take a couple of weeks off because of foot soreness and the flu. He's trying to build his fitness back up and what does he do on his return? Oh, only a 102 mile run week which includes around 25k of elevation. Kind of puts things in perspective doesn't it?

Nutrition

I am horrible at keeping track of this. Any tips from dieters out there?

Day 75: Mental Toughness

Our minds are powerful tools. It can help us get through anything just about anything. This is one of the reasons I find endurance training/racing so fascinating. We literally push our bodies to the point where even our minds start to deteriorate and tell us not to go any further. But with a little bit of will power you find yourself willing your mind to take it even further. This is what I consider to be mental toughness, the ability of using your mind to get through things even though you have some mental (and physical) reservations.

One thing that has stuck with me during all this training is when someone was trying to alleviate stress from people worrying about race day weather. He said "you can't control the weather or the course itself, all you can control is your mind." Its such a basic concept but we take it for granted and I think its applicable not only to racing but also our daily lives.

6:00AM

Team Swim

Today's swim was challenging mentally. The main set consisted of 150s at a Zone 4/5 effort.

Swimming distances between 150 and 300 are kind of tough for me because I'm afraid if I go too hard I'll wear myself out. They're almost like running the 400 or 800 in track. Just like those run races you have to be mentally disciplined in setting the right pace for yourself and also holding it as you get through the last 50. Challenging stuff!

Nutrition

Consumed 2827 Calories - my eating pattern is still erratic. I think I can get my diet under better control if I eat at the same time every day.

Weekly Review 2.1

Time to complete: 47 minutes

I'm getting faster at this. I listened to my Ate Joy's suggestion and tried to make sure to clear my inboxes as much as possible. This time would have been faster if I didn't get distracted by some actions. I attempt to complete them while doing the review and they serve as a time suck.

On the positive side even though this is my second attempt (major number is attempt number and minor number is the current streak) at a weekly review streak I've done them for five consecutive weeks which I think is a big win. Now I just have to consistently do them at the same time and be more efficient with them.

Day 74: Refreshed!

Man I'm glad I just did yoga yesterday. I feel great! Getting my nutrition under control also seems to be helping.

6:00AM

Team Intensity Bike

We did a descending ladder focusing on hitting zones 4, 5, and 6. For me the sets hitting zones 4 and 5 weren't too bad but I got pretty unraveled when we did the sets for zone 6.

I could feel my mind fighting me and telling me switch to an easier gear. Its weird when you hit those points of exhaustion and your in a literal mental battle with yourself. I wonder what it is that helps us keep on going? Sheer will?

Another thing of notice is that I was sweating like crazy. I don't think it was any hotter in the training room so I guess it might be the extra calories I've been consuming. I might have to start tracking my weight to be sure. Some elite athletes that I've talked to said they notice drops in their performance when they weigh an extra pound. I don't think I have that kind of self awareness but who knows maybe one day.

Brick

This run felt amazing! It was my first brick of the year and the first time I ran on the rode since I hurt my knee. It took me a little while to get the legs turning but I felt the run progressively start to feel effortless. I kept my cadence high and felt in a great shape after the end of the run. Its great to know that I'm recovering well from my injury.

Nutrition

2382 Calories Consumed - day isn't over yet.

Boxer + Syndicate FTW!

I come from an era where we had to launch our video games from the command line. So every time an emulator comes out I get a little nostalgic.

Over at Daring Fireball Gruber shared a link for Boxer, "The DOS game emulator that's fit for your Mac." I promptly installed Syndicate and relived my adolescent days.

I don't think Syndicate was one of my favorite DOS games ever, but I distinctly remember the summer I first played it. My Mom was working on some Oil Tankers in Turkey and I was stuck on base hanging out with her coworkers. Their solution for entertaining a 12 year old kid? Syndicate and "Some Kind of Wonderful". Great times!

Day 73: My Body is Telling Me to Take it Easy

It took a lot for me not to run or swim today. The weather was so beautiful outside and I'm really itching to get back into it as fast as I can. But after reevaluating how I've felt the last couple of days I decided it was best just to take the day off from running, biking, and swimming. Instead I decided to focus on nutrition and Yoga. I know it'll pay dividends for the rest of the week.

9:00PM

Yoga

I did some yoga just to prepare my mind and body for the week. I'm so glad that I've added this into my routine. The most I've gained from it so far is gaining more control over my breathing. The cleansing breath has been essential for not only getting oxygen to my muscles but also to helping me relax. If you're married or in a long term relationship this is a must have skill. I'm sure its essential for parenthood but I can't confirm yet.

Nutrition

2840 calories - Alright! I got the calories in. Now I just have to focus on getting a little bit more and the right kinds. No more tubs of ice cream.

Day 72: First RABA Ride

NOTE: I know these posts have been showing up a day late. I can assure you that I'm doing the workouts just not posting about them as early. I'll get back on track soon.

9:00AM

Long Ride

A friend at church has been trying to get me out for a long ride for a while now. The main thing that's been preventing me is that I always like doing team rides with Endorphin Fitness. This weekend though I didn't have a choice since everyone was down at Virginia Beach for the Shamrock Half. Glad I finally decided to go out and do this ride.

We did a total of 46 miles. Pretty crazy considering that I haven't done any long rides this year.

The first half of the ride felt great. I held back as much as I could and drafted as much as possible. The one time that I did struggle is when I had to pull the group. It just happened to be at a time we were going up a hill so I didn't get to pull as much as I would've of liked.

The second half of the ride was pretty tough. It's probably because I haven't done any long rides in a while because I know my nutrition was good. Plus we were pushing the pace quite a bit (at least for me). I made it through most of the second half of the ride but about 3 miles away from the finish I bonked.

Overall I had a great time. Would definitely do it again and recommend RVA locals to check out raba. Only regret is that I didn't check them out sooner.

Day 71: In Need of Some Rest

I'm feeling pretty blah. Its probably because I'm still recovering from the week. Its also because I've thrown my nutrition plan out the window the last several days. I think once I get my daily routine back I'll be fine. On the positive side this is good practice, because once my son arrives all my precious routines will get thrown right out the window. New obstacles, new challenges. Life is fun that way!

7:00PM

Swim and Aqua Run

It was hard to find the motivation to even go to this workout. I really struggle with doing swim workouts by myself. If I don't do them in the morning my motivation for doing the workout decreases exponentially with time.

I did most of the workout despite my mental setbacks. I'm starting to get a real good feel for the water and am doing my flip turns more naturally.

I also noticed that when I do the kicking on the side drills it feels more natural on my right side than my left. This is weird because I breath on my right side so I would think that kicking on my left side would feel more natural. Just something to keep an eye on.

Nutrition

See above.

Day 70: Partying Hard

Wow! 70 straight days of working out. There were a couple of questionable days in there were I just did a brief 10 minute workout but overall I've been pushing it pretty hard.

Yesterday for Saint Patrick's Day I decided to party hard. I don't tend to drink at all so when I call up my buddies to go out for drinks I usually get a "so you feel off the wagon" response.

Its not that I don't enjoy to have a drink every now and then its just that I've chosen to prioritize other activities. But you do have to have a balance and as I much as I tend to work out and work I like to have these "party hard" days a couple of times a year just to reset.

9:00PM

Strength Workout

I spent most of the day recovering from yesterday evening so I didn't get to workout until the evening. My upper body feels real strong right now. I was surprised at the number of pull-ups I was able to in addition to the rest of my workout. Its weird, my body body doesn't really get sore from all this exercise anymore. It might be time to change up the routine a little. I hear great things about crossfit but I don't think I have the time.

Nutrition

Like yesterday this went out the window as today's diet consisted mostly of water and recovery foods.

Day 69: Barefoot Running

9:30AM

"Barefoot" Run

It was a beautiful day outside today. I'm still in the midst of getting back into running so I'm trying to remain somewhat conservative. For right now that just means to avoid running on the road and not to get the mileage too high too soon. I also take ice baths several times a week to help me recover faster between runs.

I went over to deep run park to just run on the grass. I also decided to wear my vibrams to simulate barefoot running. I do believe barefoot running helps improve running form but I also advise people who want to try it out to be cautious. Do it too much and too fast and you can really hurt yourself. For me personally, it helps me to focus on making sure that I'm striking the ground with the correct part of my foot. It also helps me maintain a high cadence by trying to minimize the force of impact my feet have with the ground.

The run was nice. It was a beautiful day outside. I ended up doing a little over 30 minutes. I might have pushed it a little too much because I got a couple of blisters and my calves were sore afterward. Great way to experience the beautiful weather though.

Nutrition

All nutrition tracking was thrown out of the window today due to Saint Patrick's Day

Day 68: Go Rams Go

I know a lot of people are upset about VCU making the tourney. I was a bit surprised myself. Even though I'm an alumni I personally didn't think they should of been added. There are just too many holes in this team's game: relying too much on the three ball, hardly any inside/outside working on offense, questionable point guard, etc. On the upside it does continue to emphasize the life lesson of not being in total control of the opportunities you think you deserve. You can only control how personally prepared you are when they arrive.

6:00AM

Team Technique/Intensity Swim

I was pretty tired from my late night last night so I didn't have many expectations going into this workout. Surprisingly it went really well. We did 5 x sets of descending 100s. With each 100 we were supposed to take off significant time. I think I hit this for each set which is pretty much all I could have asked for. I think I might of experienced one of those "clicks" that tells you your swim stroke has improved. Since last week I feel more control over my stroke and actually have a stronger feel for the water when my arms are pulling. I'm sure we'll have a time trial in a couple of weeks so we'll see how much I've improved.

Nutrition

2377 Calories Consumed with 32 Ounces of Water - I'm starving right now but I'm about to hit up the VCU game so I might be able to make up the last calories and water.

Weekly Review Reset

Time to complete 1:05

Well that sucked. I decided to reset my Weekly Review count back to one since I didn't accomplish the simple rule of finishing it before midnight on Tuesday. If there is a moral victory in any of this at least I completed the task. I also made myself do the review to completion regardless of how early I have to wake up tomorrow morning (I'm supposed to go swim at 6AM).

The review took long again and its mainly because I did not stay on top of emptying out my physical inbox. I let things pile in it over the last four days and spent about half of the Weekly Review emptying it out. Hopefully the fatigue I'm feeling right now will help hammer this lesson into my head. Off to bed...

Day 67: Short on Time

I'm a little short on time right now so I'm going to sacrifice a good post in order to stay disciplined with my commitments.

6:00PM

Team Technique Ride

We just worked on some bike technique outside. Mostly working on hill climbing. I felt strong and I think its mostly because of all the time I spent on the Mountain Bike over the winter. Coach Tyler also commented that hill climbing technique looked so much more fluid. It was a fun practice overall. Me and some of the other guys let our competitive nature take over and raced up hills. At the end of practice we even climbed up hills with just one leg clipped in.

7:15PM

Strength

Not my best strength class. Kind of goofed around a bit rather than focus on getting the work in. Probably has something to do with doing the bike directly before strength.

8:00PM

Quick Run

I want to get my run base back as quickly as possible so I'm trying to run at least every other day for now. I hit the treadmill really quick after strength class and squeezed in a mile run. My knee feels fine but as I was watching myself run it seems like my right leg gets bowlegged sometimes. I'm sure this has to do with my injuries but it could also be because I was on the treadmill. I'll monitor it over the next couple of runs to be sure its okay.

Nutrition

2518 Calories Consumed with 56 Ounces of Water

Day 66: Taking it to the Next Level

Well I'm at the point where I've done some form of exercise for 66 days straight. This is a rest week for our training group at Endorphin Fitness so I think it's a great time to take my training to the next level.

My first couple of years doing all this endurance madness I wanted to find every edge possible to improve. The first step was to do all the workouts which I've gotten back in the grove of doing. The next step was to eat healthy and take in the right kind of foods to help me recover more efficiently between workouts. For now on I won't only be tracking my daily exercise activity but I'll be tracking my food consumption as well.

I know some people are going to hate me for admitting this but I've always been the type that has had a hard time putting on weight. Its mostly because I forget to eat. My Aunt always sums it up perfectly: "some people love to eat and you just eat to live." Because of this issue there can be times when I'm not well nourished for my workouts so I have to consciously make an effort to track my calories.

I just recently started using livestrong's My Plate page to track my calories. According to them based on my current activity level and weight I need to consume about 3000 calories a day (which is consistent with what a nutritionist told me in the past). I haven't used "My Plate" enough to merit a review but I will once I have several weeks of using the application.

8:00PM

Knee Rehab and Yoga

Like I said earlier its a rest and recovery week for me and the rest of EF's group athletes. We still swim, bike, and run but we do a much lighter effort. This not only helps with recovery but it also ensures that our body are at their peak performance level when we race.

My workout was relaxing but hard because I had to practically force myself not to do anything extra afterward. I'm not racing with everyone this weekend but I should still stick with the plan and let my body recover.

Nutrition

2887 Calories Consumed with 56 Ounces of Water - I'm not sure if this number is 100% accurate but I'll trust MyPlate's predefined nutritional values for now.

Day 65: Trail Run

12:30PM

Trail Run

I've always wanted to get into to trail running. It was an amazing 75 degrees and sunny in the RVA today so the weather was practically telling me to do a run.

I went over to Deep Run Park. I feel more comfortable with that area now that I spent the entire winter biking their trails. I had a decent run, not too long. I'm still trying to remain conservative and build a good initial base. Plus trail running itself is an entirely different beast. You have to concentrate a lot more or else you'll trip over a root and face plant into the ground.

The run itself was beautiful. I've grown to love running and I think its mostly because of the different places it has taken me. Several years ago I couldn't wait to get out of Richmond but then I started running and a whole different side of Richmond opened up to me. I began to run in amazement as I started to get to know the different parts of the city. When we would run across bridges I'd just stare at amazement at the James River.

I think this is why I now feel a pull to the trails. Running has somehow made me appreciate the outdoors and nature a whole lot more. Trails are not like the road, they can very much be altered by the weather so regardless if you run the same trail each time every one can be totally different. I can't wait! I just hope to avoid the poison ivy and snakes.

Has anyone else gotten into trail running? Any great trails that you guys recommend?

Day 64: Totally Different

8:15AM

Team Outdoor Bike

Whew! It is totally different riding on the road than the trailer. I know this of course, when you make that transition its always hard. I know I've gotten stronger on the bike I just haven't been able to put it all together on the actual road yet. The factors of turns, wind, and elevation are just some of the new things you have to consider when getting back on the road.

My problem today was that I was late and felt the need to catch everyone. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. By the time I was up to the main group I was worn out. Coach Michael wanted me to stick with them and I did for a whomping 2 minutes. I think at that point I had a mini bonk. So instead of trying to power through it and kill myself I decided for the rest of the workout I was just going to work on being smooth.

"Smooth is fast" is a phrase that several people have told me before and its true. You just focus on being in perfect control and the speed comes naturally. The concept is applicable to running, swimming, biking, and even driving. For me on the bike this involves keeping my heart rate and cadence consistent. The way I've grown accustomed to doing this is choosing the effort I want to bike at and then using gearing to make sure I'm peddling at that effort. If I feel the peddles pushing me back a little (ie - getting tired or on a uphill) I switch to an easier gear, if they feel too loose (ie - downhill or last stretch of the bike) I switch to a harder one.

I did this for the rest of the workout and found myself going at a decent pace. I still need to get out there more to get used to the road.

Day 63: Banff Mountain Film Festival

Super late post. I know, bu we just got back from the local Banff Mountain Film Festival. It was a great exhibit of adventure sports, nature, and inspiration. It was also our first film festival so it was a pretty cool experience. I definitely would recommend checking it out if they do a showing in your town.

6:00AM

Endurance Swim

The workout plan was super simple. Just swim as far as you can. I had 1000 meters in my plan but I added extra. I broke into two parts. The first I just swam non stop without even counting the laps. I just used the clock on the wall as my guide. I think I swam for about 20 minutes non stop. The second part was a straight 500 followed by a 100 cool down. In all I think I got about a mile or so swim done.

I felt good. My shoulders and back did get tight afterward but I'm sure this is because of the tough strength class last night.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Day 62: Running in the Rain

6:00AM

Team Run

Woohoo! I attended my first team run in I don't remember how long. I didn't do the same workout as everyone else because I'm just getting back into running. I purposely left my Garmin at home so I wouldn't even focus on time but I'm sure I got a little over two miles done.

It was raining during the entire run which was fine with me. I was just happy to be out there. It could have been 30 degrees and windy and I would have still enjoyed the run. At different points I couldn't help but remember the joy I used to feel when running and just ran with a big smile. Its the little things you have to enjoy in life. For my run today, it was the rain hitting my face, just being able to be out there, and to see my teammates. I'm so glad that I got to experience this run.

7:15PM

Strength Class

These classes are starting to get to be a lot of fun. Now that we've switched formats I try to do the workout with as little rest as possible while also focusing on good form and control. We did a lot of back and core stuff so we'll see how tomorrow morning's swim goes.

Remember the ab wheel? I thought it was a made for TV gimick but now that I've tried it out, it can be quite challenging. The key is to do the right form and focus on working the correct muscles. As you "roll out" you have to make sure the wheel stays under your face or else you'll start to strain your back. When you "roll back in" you have to focus on working your ab muscles rather than your arms. To do this you can focus on the the same motion you do when your doing knee raises. Your knees won't actually move but by concentrating on that type of movement you engage your core muscles.

Day 61: Belay is On!

Yesterday

Quick Run!

I forgot to include this yesterday but for me its a pretty big deal. I did a 5 minute pain free run on the treadmill. No pains in the knee so I'm pretty satisfied. I was really worried at some points that this was going to be a life altering injury. Things aren't totally in the clear yet but at least I'm back to running.

6:00AM

Team Technique/Intensity Swim

This morning's swim wasn't too bad. I didn't feel like in full attack mode and I think maybe its because of the full day I had yesterday. It could of also been because it wasn't a coached swim. Fortunately, there were several guys who showed interest in doing the workout and I think we all just motivated each other to get it done.

I didn't feel anything in my knee which continues to excite me. I threw in a lot of flip turns during the main set and pushed off the wall with both legs. I'm excited about how well its getting incorporated into my swim.

6:20PM

Belay Test and Quick Climb

Hooray! I passed the belay test. It was pretty straightforward. I just had to go through the entire process of putting the gear on myself and assisting on getting it on the climber. Then we did an actual climb where he simulated falling a couple of times. A good tip here was to make sure that the belay rope was in the down position most of the time.

I had to get back home for work so I just threw in a nice quick climb and belayed for a couple of people.

3rd GTD Weekly Review

Time to Complete: 50 minutes

This was a quickie. I had been monitoring my lists and emptying my inbox throughout the week to make this easier.

I still think I can make it a little faster. One of the things I've been trying to do is digitizing everything. I still have project folders and tickler files but I think I've worked out a way to have those things on my computer. I'll try and incorporate that this week and see how it affects next week's review.

Day 60: Full Tilt

Great News! The orthopedic cleared me to run. In fact he said I should go "full tilt" with my workouts. Its kind of ironic that he said that this afternoon because that's exactly what happened with my bike in the morning.

6:00AM

Team Intensity/Technique Bike

This one made me feel like I had gotten hit by a truck. Remember my better than caffeine post? Didn't apply after this workout. I spent a good part of the day finding ways to summon energy to get things done.

We did 6 x 5 minute max efforts. By the time we were done I could barely lift my head up. It was a good 30 minutes after the workout before I started to feel like I was having coherent thoughts again. Fun stuff!

6:00PM

Belay Class

Nothing physical here but I just wanted to be sure I remembered the most important things for my belay test tomorrow.

• When making the figure eight, wrap the rope over top of itself and around then back down the hole. Brian said someone's wife described this as wrapping a rope around their husband's neck.
• When finishing the climber's not the rope can be brought back down threw the bottom hole.
• For the belayer, everything must be kept on the same side: the rope in the ATC and the opening of the carabiner. Before inserting the rope into the carabiner make sure the end is folded towards the wall.
• When belaying, never let go of the rope with your right hand. If you do the person will fall.

7:15PM

Strength Class

Had a fun time with this workout. I did all the exercises, including the ones that I was tentative to do because of my knee. I even hit the bench press for the first time in what seems like several years.

Day 59: Too Much of Anything

They say too much of anything is a bad thing. This is very true for training for endurance events.

You spend so many countless hours getting the miles in that it becomes part of your lifestyle. It gets to the point where if you don't get that workout in it really messes with your day. At least for me it does. While this is all good you have to be wary of working yourself beyond this point.

This is where people get "burned out". Your energy and mental toughness begin to quickly diminish in not only your workouts but also in other aspects of your life. I've been through this before and it was a very negative place. It almost felt like what some people would describe as depression. This is why its important to take those preemptive rest days.

Its nice to go all out and work hard but you do have to also listen to your body and let it recover.

6:00PM

Core Workout and Stretching

Today was a very light core and stretching session. I was getting ancy because I didn't feel like I worked hard enough to merit a workout. But then I remembered the importance of recovery. 59 straight days of exercise is quite a bit so I'm okay with having back to back "light" days.

Plus, I have an orthopedic appointment tomorrow. It would have been bad if I went in there all banged up. Cross your fingers for some good news!

Practice, Practice, Practice

I'm not sure what it is about my personality but I've always sought to try new things. I think I just like challenges. Although, simply overcoming a challenge is not usually enough for me. I want to feel like I've conquered the challenge.

As an example, several years ago I taught myself how to complete a Rubik's Cube. It wasn't enough for me to simply finish it once, I wanted to be able to do it at a whim. Once I got that down, I proceeded to seeing if I could solve a completely random cube under 3 minutes (sorry, I'm not a speedcuber). Only until I accomplished that did I feel I had mastered the feat of solving a Rubik's Cube.

I've applied this attitude to many other things that I've done: running, triathlons, basketball, etc. But for every thing I feel like I've conquered there have been busts along the way. This got me to thinking, what was different about the busts? How did I approach them differently?

The answer is rather simple. Its practice. With running and triathlons its straight forward. You have to "practice" all the time or you won't have enough of a fitness base to complete the race. With my Rubik's Cube example, I would bring the Cube with me to every break and give it a quick solve before going back to work. This isn't like the sense of what we think of as a traditional scheduled practice but it is the same concept.

repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency

[Source: dictionary.com]

One "bust" that I feel I've had was my programming skills. For the past several years because of whatever excuse I've allowed myself to just settle with my current knowledge and ability rather than seeking out ways to improve professionally.

In my search to find ways to improve my skills, I stumbled upon an old Yegge Post where he further emphasizes the need for practice.

The great engineers I know are as good as they are because they practice all the time. People in great physical shape only get that way by working out regularly, and they need to keep it up, or they get out of shape. The same goes for programming and engineering.

What about everyone else? Is there something that just needed a lot of practice for mastery? Can you think of examples where you didn't need any kind of practice at all?

Day 58: Weekend Recovery

I had a nice weekend with family and friends. Great times usually translates to a bunch of unhealthy food. I decided to go with Yoga to help my body recover from all the bad treats.

9:00PM

Knee Rehabilitation, Strength, and Yoga

Pretty straightforward stuff here. I spent about half an hour doing my knee exercises and then continued to work on my 100 pushup and 50 pullup challenges. I don't have a bar close enough to the ground to do Australian pullups so I settled for doing Hanging Leg Raise Pullups.

The Yoga felt great. I feel nice a recovered for a great work week!

Also, checkout yesterday's post. For some reason it didn't post to twitter or facebook, which is a shame because I spent more than my usual amount of time writing it.

Day 57: Training Groups and Mount Trashmore Park

I'm down at Virginia Beach for the weekend so I got my brother in law to come out and do some riding with me. Mount Trashmore was a convenient location because his wife is doing an exercise boot camp.

This got me thinking about Training Groups. They've become a craze lately with programs such as Boot Camp and SEAL Team. Whether its for weight loss, running, triathlons, martial arts, or just fitness I think these exercise groups are a powerful thing. They seem to be 10x more effective than a standard gym membership. I think people find them compelling for several reasons all of which build on top of one another.

1. No judgement. A lot of people get discouraged by the idea of working out because of insecurities. With these training groups those insecurities tend to melt away. At different points of the exercise everyone looks exhausted and is pushing themselves to their limits. At that point you can't help but have the utmost respect for the person next to you regardless of why they are part of your group. Its a very empowering thing.
   
2. Camaraderie. You'll find people cheering each other in these programs which begins to build a sense of camaraderie. I know a lot of people who have formed lifetime friendships because of this reason.
   
3. Accountability. This camaraderie reinforces accountability. People motivations for their workouts begin to change. They start showing up to workouts for those very friendships that they've built.
   

I've had the benefit of being part of two awesome fitness groups: The Marathon Training Team and Endorphin Fitness. What about everyone else? Is there an exercise group that you love?

8:00AM

Mountain Bike

This was just a fun ride. Mount Trashmore doesn't really have any trails but has a couple of hills to get your heart rate up. It was nice weather and great company so I couldn't ask for more!

Day 56: Workout Haiku

Have a good weekend everyone!

7:30PM

Swim

I just went swimming
Today was a busy day
It felt pretty good

Day 55: Its All About Perspective

Burnout. Its something that everyone faces professionally, physically, and mentally. Sometimes its from exhaustion and sometimes it can be from not loving what you're doing anymore. So what's the solution?

Sometimes in life you just have to adjust your perspective a little. "Man that swim workout was tough!" can easily be changed to "Wow! I can't believe I made it through that workout. I could barely swim a lap a year ago." Its all about finding the little adjustments in perspective to enjoy the journey a little more.

Do you have a task coming up that seems monumental? Just take the time and enjoy the process rather than focussing on the end goal. Everyone enjoys accomplishing things. Its OK to lower our standards every once in a while just to have those little moral victories.

7:00AM

Knee Exercises

Nothing fancy here. Just a couple of exercises to help rehabilitate my knee.

6:45PM

Bike Recovery

I usually can't do some of the warm-ups we have for strength class because of my knee so I jumped on the bike to get a little sweat going. Things felt good.

7:15PM

Strength Class

This was the first time I went to strength class in a while. They changed the format and its more like a crossfit setup rather than a time at each exercise. It was different which is good. Its nice to switch things up every once in a while.

At the end of it Rusty and I did what everyone started terming as "workout HORSE". He'd do a challenging exercise and I'd see if I could do it too. The last thing he did involved a pull-up position combined with windshield wipers. It looked crazy. I think that guy needs to get into gymnastics.

Day 54: Everyone has Off Days

Today was just one of those days. I did a lot of different things today and got a lot of stuff done but it almost felt as if I wasn't doing anything at all. Ever have that feeling?

I guess its just a blah day which is something everyone has once in a while. I mean we are human. Pro athletes have them all the time. A basketball player's shot might be off or a pitcher might just not have the right stuff. This off feeling doesn't only affect us physically, but also mentally and even spiritually.

One of the most real things that someone has ever told me is from a good friend of mine who is a Pastor. He said, "there are days where even I struggle spiritually." That's brutal honesty. Especially from a Pastor.

Everyone struggles. Sometimes you can find the reason sometimes you can't. For me, I attribute today's lackadaisical mood to yesterday's free IHOP pancakes that I had for dinner.

6:00AM

Team Intensity/Technique Swim

Swim started out great. I kind of attacked the warmup because I was excited that I could push off the walls with both feet. I didn't get the clearance from my orthopedic but since I did run this past Saturday I figured it couldn't hurt. It was great! My stroke felt smooth and I was hitting my flip turns. Then I got tired.

We've already acknowledged that pancakes were the problem so I'm not even going to get into the rest of the workout. I finished it. End of story.

6:00PM

Rock Wall Climbing

I almost didn't make it to this. Because of the way I was feeling I just wanted to pass out on the couch as soon as I got home from work. I'm glad I decided to go.

I tried some tougher climbs today. Now I can see why everyone has those packs of powder. Your hands get sweaty while up there. To quote another guy climbing with us, "my hands are sweating like I'm on a first date." Its that serious.

One thing that I learned is that you don't want to use your muscles when your holding yourself up there. You just want to let your skeleton (I'm sure I'm describing this wrong). The point is that you don't want to keep your muscles flexed or they will fatigue faster, you just want to stay loose and let your skeletal frame distribute the pressure associated with holding yourself up.

Day 53: Better than Coffee

I always say that these workouts are better than coffee. I've eliminated caffeine from 99% of my diet (that 1% is for when we go to the movies). They get my day started and my blood pumping. On the days when I don't get a workout in the morning I tend to feel sluggish.

6:00AM

Team Intensity/Technique Bike

We did another high intensity workout intended to push us to our limits. It wasn't too bad, I might have held back a little because I was worried about tweaking my knee like I did last week. At the end of the set though, my heart rate was in the right place so I did eventually get to the intended effort.

One of the things that got me going even harder was that Coach Michael told us to envision or goals for this year. On the bike I don't really have any race goals but I do have a pace goal for a specific course.

I want to average 25 mph on the 6 mile West Creek course. West Creek is where we do time trials to gauge our improvement. With this goal I have to take about 40 seconds off my fastest time which is doable with consistent work and maybe a little drafting.

One more note about this morning's workout: I think someone crop dusted me. Actually I know they did, I just don't know who. What was worst is they got me right after we ended a hard effort so I was breathing hard. "Now that's how you get pink eye."

Everyday Tagalog Verbs

When I first started to practice learning Tagalog several people told me "know the root". They were talking about verbs and knowing their root form. Trying to jump into a new language is hard; trying to do that while knowing each grammatical rule is even harder.

Imagine attempting to explain word conjugations to a foreign speaker. Think its easy? Look at "think" and "eat". They're two straightforward verbs. To conjugate them in the action of doing you just add the suffix "-ing": "thinking" and "eating". Simple enough. What about past tense? "Thought" and "Ate". How do you explain that? There is no simple rule. Its just having experience with language.

In an effort to keep things simple (the KISS principle) I decided to compile a list of everyday verbs and their root Tagalog translation.

• wake up - gising
• to shower/bathe - maligo (Thanks Mae!)
• to cook - luto
• to eat - kain
• to go - punta
• to wash - hugasan
• to walk - lakad
• to talk - usap
• to drink - inumin
• to sit - umupo
• to sleep - tulog
• to clean - linis
• to know - alam
• to leave - alis
• to wait - antay
• to go down - baba
• to read - basa
• to buy - bili
• to get up - bangon
• to carry - karga
• to knock - katok
• to get or take - kuha

Are there any daily verbs that I am missing? Let me know in the comments and I'll find their root translation. Also, if I'm wrong please let me know. I know my Mom will eventually read this and correct me but every little bit helps.