Epiphany

Chanced upon an improvement in my running technique today. A little more of a forward lean than I've been doing makes for a noticeable jump in speed and efficiency at the same time. Actually ran close to my aerobic capacity tonight for 2.0 miles in 17:48 per GPS. Just earlier this week I was 1 minute slower with fresher legs.  I'll remember this.

Song of the Day

Had an excellent workout tonight. This song got my psyched up. I'm a big geek for this band.

Next Up

After farting around for a month, I finally signed up for the Warrior Dash in KC on May 5th.

There are only 390 spots left, all in the 3:30 PM heat. Better hurry if you want to join me! Race distance is "3.11 hellish miles" and includes 12 obstacles, including a hurdle over a small fire near the finish. I'm very much looking forward to it. Registration includes a free viking helmet. They encourage costumes but that sounds like work.

In the meantime there are nearly 9 weeks of training to be done. Weight is 214 lbs and if I'm able to maintain the ~2 lb/week loss that I had before the last event, that'll mean getting below 200 lbs for the first time since 1999. So that's the goal--to see 199.9 lbs on the scale. Not really a point in setting a very specific performance goal, since there's no way to predict how long the course will take, but I'd love to place in the top 1/3rd of the field. We'll see.

The challenge at this point is restarting strength training while maintaining aerobic work. My running form also needs improvement. I can't seem to settle a pace that's fast and is challenging aerobically. My form just gets too sloppy and muscles are sore for 2 days (fortunately my joints & shins are fine). This is when running 9-1/2 minute miles. To keep up aerobic capacity I've been interval training on the Precor AMT. Adding training is going to be hard. Work continues to be very busy. I'll also have to improvise for nearly 2 weeks in April when working in Florida. I envision running on the beach while trying not to think of Baywatch.

Not Dead Yet!

The theme of today's blog post: Not Dead Yet.

I've been caught slacking. Well sorta. I haven't gained weight but I haven't lost any either. What's more important is the lack of progress towards becoming the real me. My goal by the end of the weekend is to find another event to train for.

Going Mobile

Hey, looks like the Android app works. That should help improve the post count around here.

Ran 3 to 3.5 miles on Thursday. I'm still a touch sore from it. That seems to be part of the learning process for the Chi Running method. My muscles are absorbing the shock instead of my bones and joints, which is great, but takes some conditioning and possibly some emphasis on Chi energy per the book. We'll see.

State of the Pudge - Februrary 11th

(Pudgy Pugilist, Butter Bean. Just 'cause.)

Don't worry--still at it, just not much to blog about lately. Exercise and diet have been a bit inconsistent since the Ground Hog Run but I've dropped a few lbs anyway. Sometimes you just can't predict these things. It's been a lazy, undisciplined weekend but earlier this week I was at 214.8 lbs.

I think you'll agree it's time to pick another event to train for; maybe several. Another 5k-10k event would be great for the next 4-6 weeks. Shouldn't be a challenge to actually complete it, just something to work at and improve on. Ultimately I'd like to do an 'Adventure Race' event or two this spring & summer.

The local YMCA has a 'Gladiator Run' in on April 14th. The brochure says 3.1 miles with various obstacles along the way. That's a good place to start. There are several others in the area and also in Colorado that I'd like to give a try after that. In the meantime there are various 4 mi run/walks for St. Pats in March. That's something to do while I work on improve muscular endurance and strength.

Some Good, Some Bad

(Found this on a Google image search for 'not bad'. Makes no sense
yet gives me the giggles. Thanks, Natalie Dee.)

As easy as my last post makes that 5k run sound, I do have to say my legs are surprisingly sore afterwards. I was definitely prepared aerobically and didn't anticipate this muscle soreness. Apparently not actually running is poor preparation for a running event. Who knew?

A little bit of everything is sore below the waist (no, not there.) The worst are my quads, which is surprising since they are still huge. This is a genetic trait I've inherited. Of course I'm not this guy, but his nickname has been teased in my direction before. It's not a deep soreness, which is kind of strange, but it's there and bad enough that I didn't exercise yesterday or today. Also pained are my hams, calves, and abs but only enough to notice.

What's not sore are my shins. No shin splints at all. Also not complaining are my knees and ankles. I'm not sure I've ever been able to say that after doing even a little distance running. Just a couple of months ago it felt like I was beating myself up running 1 or 2 miles on the indoor track. I have to credit Chi Running for this. I am in no way claiming to have figured it all out, but it does seem like putting just a few of the ideas to use has been very helpful. The slightly sore ab muscles are telling because they were helping maintain a forward lean. Good stuff.