Sunday, December 26, 2010

Snow Globe

Good morning.

Well, here we are again, living in the "snow Globe." The lake effect snow started late last night and continues to bless us with it's fine particulate matter. My outside deck table looks like it has a giant white muffin top on it. Or, it could be a big white cake.

Running outside yesterday was challenging because of the snow that fell Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It was one of those runs where you feel like you are occassionally peeling out with your feet. Thank God traffic was light and I was able to run on the clear blacktop most of the way. The 8 miles passed quickly as the snowy winter wonderland amused me.

One thing I have realized after talking with other runners and also reading blogs is that: If you don't love doing this, "running," "training," etc. it's not worth doing. Find some other form of exercise you really enjoy. I get baffled when I see someone training and complaining. What's the point?

Myself, I love to run, swim, bike, ellip, lift weights, P90X, etc. I love to train and I do look forward to it every day. I really do. I enjoy trying to better myself through these activities.

That's why, come race day, I can be momentarily sad. The whole training process (main dish ) has come to an end for a little while and it's time for the race (dessert ).

So, the point? Enjoy your activities. Do what you like. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. The decision is yours.

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:50 0:09:32 1 0 6 9:50 9:32 6:55 114 126 0 60
2 0:08:25 0:08:19 1 11 0 8:25 8:19 7:22 126 132 0 61
3 0:08:16 0:08:17 1 2 0 8:17 8:17 7:12 128 135 0 57
4 0:08:22 0:08:19 1 0 14 8:22 8:19 6:50 126 136 0 53
5 0:08:15 0:08:15 1 15 0 8:15 8:15 5:51 131 139 0 57
6 0:08:18 0:08:16 1 0 2 8:18 8:16 6:09 131 140 0 54
7 0:08:26 0:08:26 1 0 4 8:26 8:26 7:16 133 136 0 54
8 0:08:15 0:08:06 1 6 10 8:15 8:06 7:11 135 142 0 57
9 0:00:24 0:00:24 0.05 0 0 8:23 8:05 8:00 134 134 0 2
Summary 1:08:36 1:07:54 8.05 34 36 8:31 8:26 5:51 127 142 0 455



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Tis The Season...

Good afternoon.

Hi, my name is Randy and I'm an exerciseaholic. It's been approximately 250 miles since my last blog.

I've been reading but not posting or blogging much. Not sure why. Maybe I was in blog recovery mode.

Now, my fingers are fresh and able to move fluidly.

Training has been going well. I have not been swimming much at all. But, I've really focused on biking and some running.

The biking class I'm taking at Vision Quest has been amazing. It is tough and has taught me what a hard bike workout really is. My current 8 week class session ends this Sunday. I've already signed up for the next 8 week course which begins the first week in January.

My running is going fine. I've just been running enough miles to maintain my endurance base. Weekly mileage has been between 20-30 miles.

Between running, biking and ellipting, my average weekly miles usually adds up to approx 120 miles. Not bad.

I do add in various P90X workouts to supplement all these other workouts. I've really come to enjoy P90X with it's variety and muscle confusion. The two P90X workouts that still are a biatch is, ab ripper and legs & back. With the legs and back you do so many lunges that your hamstrings and glutes are always sore afterward. Got to love it.

It's just about time to really start thinking about Boston Marathon training. I am currently coming up with a training plan which will continue to blend triathlon training with marathon training. I feel the bike really helps keep the legs strong and also fresh.

Today's run went well.

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:48 0:09:38 1 0 6 9:48 9:38 7:26 111 121 0 59
2 0:08:43 0:08:41 1 12 0 8:43 8:41 6:30 124 131 0 62
3 0:08:28 0:08:21 1 0 0 8:28 8:21 6:18 126 135 0 54
4 0:08:23 0:08:19 1 0 13 8:24 8:19 6:11 131 140 0 58
5 0:08:20 0:08:18 1 15 0 8:20 8:18 6:14 131 137 0 60
6 0:08:01 0:08:01 1 0 2 8:01 8:01 6:35 139 143 0 64
7 0:07:47 0:07:46 1 0 4 7:47 7:46 6:46 142 148 0 64
8 0:07:06 0:07:02 1 8 10 7:06 7:02 6:30 153 157 0 65
9 0:00:15 0:00:13 0.03 0 0 7:32 6:26 6:44 156 156 0 3
Summary 1:06:54 1:06:19 8.03 35 35 8:19 8:15 6:11 131 157 0 489



-----
" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Just Keep Moving!

Good morning.

I guess we are getting closer to official Boston Marathon training. It is hard to believe that it's already time to focus on Beantown. My approach for this race will consist of a mix of triathlon and marathon training.

I prepared for this past Boston and Chicago Marathons using this approach and had great success. I PR'ed in both races, Boston: 3:32:00 and Chicago: 3:29:29.

As I triathlon cross trained my way to marathon success it was difficult for me to trust this method. Some experienced triathlon friends encouraged me to believe that I did not need "TONS" of running miles to achieve marathon success. I did follow their advice and it worked.

I think tri-training, with it's mix of swimming, biking and running gives the various bodily muscles recovery time while you work on the different tri-dicsiplines.

So, I will do this again. I may make some adjustments to fit in slightly more mileage because I have bagged some serious triathlon fitness. Most of my miles will be running and biking with a couple swims per week.

Something else I've been doing, which I've actually never done, is focus on some ab and core work. I am using P90X Ab Ripper for this. I was surprised at how week my core was. I am slowly improving with this. Also, I am enjoying the other various P90X DVD's and mix in workouts throughout the week. The P90X legs and back is a real leg killer.

Today I already did ab ripper and will pick the chest back and arms DVD later for a great upper body workout to be followed by a bike session.

Yesterday I went for a 6 mile run outdoors. The temp was in the teens but it was not bothersome. With today's great running gear it seems like the elements are much less a factor. I was surprised at how high my heart rate was for this effort. Maybe I was over dressed.

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:53 0:09:32 1 0 4 9:53 9:32 4:25 111 127 0 63
2 0:08:15 0:08:14 1 9 0 8:15 8:14 5:12 130 138 0 63
3 0:08:17 0:08:14 1 3 0 8:17 8:14 6:18 132 138 0 61
4 0:08:23 0:08:22 1 0 4 8:23 8:22 6:25 136 141 0 65
5 0:08:20 0:08:20 1 0 4 8:20 8:20 6:32 139 146 0 65
6 0:08:21 0:08:04 1 6 8 8:21 8:04 7:06 137 144 0 60
7 0:00:26 0:00:25 0.05 0 0 8:16 7:54 7:37 143 144 0 3
Summary 0:51:59 0:51:11 6.05 18 20 8:35 8:27 4:25 130 146 0 380



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Happy Holiday Season

Good morning.

Wooosh, the year is almost over. We have been very fortunate in Chicago with the weather. I have yet to see a single snowflake.

The past Thanksgiving week was a nice break from the norm. I decided to rest the running and swimming muscles last week and instead focused on the elliptical, bike and P90X for my workouts.

One reason for the swim break was because I added a new triathlon related tattoo to my right ankle. The tattoo is a swimmer, biker and runner. Kind of cool and timely. I think everyone should get at least one tattoo just to experience the proceedure.

I really enjoy doing P90X. I'm not following the program but instead I will pick out one of the CD's and do the workout. Last night's chest and back workout was brutal. Can you say "pushups." I did not know there were so many varieties.

Also, the P90X ab ripper is awesome. It's been a long time since I focused on abs. This is a tough workout. You will see what I mean if you ever try it.

Since beginning my Sunday, "Taste of Vision Quest," class by biking has improved markedly. It is very intense with lots of hill interval work. I love it.

So yesterday I decided to run again and went for an easy 8 miler. It felt good to get back out there.

My next race is January 29, 2011. I thought this would be good to run in because I will be training for the Boston Marathon. I am sure that 13.1 miles will be required on that weekend. The name of the race:

The "2nd Annual F*cking Freezing Frozen Lake Half Marathon" on 1/29/2011. Go to RunningGuru.com and sign up and run with me! http://www.runningguru.com/Event/669

Sounds like fun doesn't it?

Well, fitness continues and I am sure I did not gain any weight last week. My 1000 calories burned daily with exercise is intact and going well.

Lastly, I won a trip to LA for the finale of the Biggest Loser. I follow Bob Harper, one of the Biggest Loser trainers, on Twitter. He was having a contest in which all you had to do is re-tweet his contest message. I had never re-tweeted anything ever before. I said, what the heck, and with one hour left in the contest I re-tweeted and a few hours after that I got the email that I won the trip. The trip pays for travel to and from the airport, the flights and hotel stay. The fancy hotel is, SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.

So, I'll be in the audience on Tuesday, Dec. 14 for the finale. I also look forward to meeting Bob and personally thanking him for helping me lose 60 pounds. I want to give him a before and after picture and say, "this is what you helped me accomplish."

Yesterday's run:

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:50 0:09:15 1 0 5 9:50 9:15 8:36 153 175 0 34
2 0:09:08 0:09:02 1 10 0 9:08 9:02 7:22 128 173 0 57
3 0:08:56 0:08:52 1 2 0 8:56 8:52 7:20 124 129 0 62
4 0:09:03 0:08:51 1 0 14 9:03 8:51 5:47 123 135 0 55
5 0:08:56 0:08:40 1 15 0 8:56 8:40 5:22 127 135 0 55
6 0:09:08 0:09:07 1 0 2 9:08 9:07 6:55 127 131 0 56
7 0:08:41 0:08:41 1 0 4 8:41 8:41 6:58 132 136 0 58
8 0:08:47 0:08:47 1 5 10 8:47 8:47 8:01 133 137 0 59
9 0:00:26 0:00:26 0.05 0 0 8:51 8:45 8:24 136 137 0 3
Summary 1:13:00 1:11:41 8.05 32 35 9:04 8:54 5:22 131 175 0 439



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Friday, November 19, 2010

Battling Aging With Exercise

Good morning.

I am really enjoying my new morning elliptical routine. Completing 4 miles or more before breakfast is a nice way to start the day. It's also a nice head start towards my daily 1000 calorie burn goal.

Usually after work the second workout installment is accomplished. The late afternoon workout is either running or biking. Also, during my lunch break I may fit in two swims a week. Also, can't forget about the weight training to maintain lean tissue, ie. muscle.

Getting older is a battle and I want to enjoy the battle for a long long time.

Wednesday was bike on trainer day and I put in 2 hours and 30 miles. This was my long ride for the week. I have to say, 2 hours on the trainer is a mental exercise. I really admire those triathletes who have done 5 hours or more. I will be doing that some time in the future. Can't imagine it right now.

Yesterday was the second run of the week. I've decided that I will only run 3 times per week, usually Tuesday, Thurday and Saturday. These runs will consist of 1 speedier session, 1 moderate and 1 long run. Yesterday was the moderate and I ran 8 miles.

So, all in all, things are great.

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:28 0:09:11 1 0 5 9:28 9:11 7:29 144 170 0 42
2 0:08:32 0:08:28 1 10 0 8:32 8:28 6:32 128 133 0 62
3 0:08:31 0:08:28 1 3 7 8:31 8:28 6:50 124 136 0 51
4 0:08:42 0:08:08 1 0 9 8:42 8:08 7:12 125 147 0 47
5 0:08:25 0:08:12 1 15 0 8:25 8:12 6:26 126 140 0 47
6 0:08:53 0:08:44 1 0 3 8:53 8:44 7:05 125 143 0 43
7 0:08:32 0:08:19 1 0 4 8:32 8:19 7:15 125 135 0 43
8 0:08:31 0:08:29 1 7 8 8:31 8:29 7:53 128 135 0 49
9 0:00:08 0:00:07 0.02 0 0 8:03 7:00 8:16 127 127 0 0
Summary 1:09:45 1:08:06 8.02 35 36 8:42 8:29 6:26 128 170 0 384



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Monday, November 15, 2010

1000 a Day Keeps Fat Away

Good morning.



Well, so much for all those colorful leaves that were hanging by a thread. They have finally slowly floated their way to Earth. I had an excellent run this weekend as they were making their descent.

It was a cool, gray, drizzly, breezy Saturday morning as I started out for 13.1 miles. The leaves were falling like huge snowflakes being blown in the swirls of wind. It was kind of cool in it's own way. I guess you had to be there.

I am one who appreciates these simple moments as I get lost in my run. With the music and the scene in front of me it's a cheap form of entertainment. All you need is an imagination.

The run felt good the whole way. I kept the pace friendly and sort of easy and aerobic. My aerobic capacity has really improved this year. Now I can run many miles with my heart rate in the low to mid 120 beats per minute while running 8:30 miles.

Also this weekend I had my second Taste of Vision Quest cycling class. This is one intense motha of a class. With the intensity levels we reach in the class, I am positive that my triathlon cycling will improve immensely.

Today as I did the elliptical I decided on a new daily fitness goal. I want to burn at least 1000 calories per day with a combo of activities like, swimming, biking, running, elliptical, weights, etc.

Today is a good start with seven miles on the elliptical which burned approx 700 calories. I will back this up with a 6 mile run for a total of 1300 calories burned today. Sort of a fun new daily goal.

My run looked like this:

Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:39 0:09:27 1 0 5 9:39 9:27 7:21 110 122 0 59
2 0:08:42 0:08:35 1 10 0 8:42 8:35 6:55 120 127 0 58
3 0:08:24 0:08:20 1 3 7 8:24 8:20 7:02 124 130 0 56
4 0:08:29 0:08:07 1 0 3 8:29 8:07 4:57 122 133 0 45
5 0:08:45 0:08:07 1 0 8 8:45 8:07 7:31 127 148 0 45
6 0:08:42 0:08:41 1 11 12 8:42 8:41 8:04 127 143 0 48
7 0:08:28 0:08:12 1 13 0 8:28 8:12 7:17 128 146 0 41
8 0:08:31 0:08:01 1 4 0 8:31 8:01 6:52 129 142 0 42
9 0:08:21 0:08:18 1 0 0 8:21 8:18 5:53 129 139 0 46
10 0:08:30 0:08:08 1 0 4 8:30 8:08 6:55 127 140 0 39
11 0:08:21 0:08:18 1 0 2 8:21 8:18 7:19 128 141 0 43
12 0:08:27 0:08:22 1 8 7 8:27 8:22 7:19 129 143 0 44
13 0:08:34 0:08:22 1 0 7 8:34 8:22 7:55 129 141 0 40
14 0:00:54 0:00:53 0.1 0 0 8:43 8:27 8:04 129 131 0 4
Summary 1:52:52 1:49:51 13.1 49 55 8:36 8:22 4:57 125 148 0 610





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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Happy Hump Day

Good afternoon.

It's time to celebrate.

The election is over and so are all of those assinine commercials. Talk about a bunch of childish BS. How has our political system evolved into this? And, the candidates have the nerve to shove their nonsense down our throat.

I personally want to thank who ever invented the "Digital Video Recorder." This device allowed me to record portions of programs and as I would watch I was able to fast forward past all of the commercials. That was great.

Enough on this.

Well the event season is almost over. My wife and I are running an event this weekend called the Hot Chocolate 15K. We will run together at her pace.

We practiced our pace last weekend as we ran 8 miles on Sunday. The pace will be plus or minus 9:00 per mile. I know Beth's competitive juices will kick in and it may be slightly faster. I will have to make sure she does not get ahead of herself.

I always look forward to this event. After the run you walk into the finish area and there will be chocolate everywhere. Chocolate fountains, bananas, candy, etc. We will have a lot of chocolate to take home.

Training/fitness has been going well. I have been doing elliptical in the morning before breakfast and biking or running in the afternoon. Not every day mind you. But today is a good example.

Before breakfast I did 5 miles on the elliptical and this afternoon I will run 6-8 miles. For lunch I treated my abs to the P90X Ab Ripper workout. I have yet to do all of the workout. It reminds me how week my abs are. But, in a few weeks they will be so much stronger.

Of course, I am also swimming and biking a couple times per week to maintain fitness in these disciplines.

My last two runs, 14 miles on Saturday and 8 on Sunday looked like this:

s Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:09 0:08:28 1 0 6 9:09 8:28 7:57 117 139 0 52
2 0:08:44 0:08:29 1 11 0 8:44 8:29 6:27 117 123 0 58
3 0:08:18 0:08:15 1 2 7 8:18 8:15 5:57 122 128 0 53
4 0:08:28 0:08:13 1 0 3 8:28 8:13 6:20 122 129 0 49
5 0:08:29 0:08:27 1 0 8 8:29 8:27 7:36 124 134 0 48
6 0:08:18 0:08:16 1 11 13 8:18 8:16 7:15 131 142 0 56
7 0:08:35 0:08:35 1 0 0 8:35 8:35 8:02 127 130 0 50
8 0:09:34 0:08:53 1 19 8 9:34 8:53 3:30 121 128 0 45
9 0:08:36 0:08:33 1 6 3 8:36 8:33 7:13 127 132 0 51
10 0:08:45 0:08:41 1 4 0 8:45 8:41 7:13 128 135 0 51
11 0:08:48 0:08:49 1 0 0 8:48 8:49 7:03 130 133 0 54
12 0:08:34 0:08:33 1 0 5 8:34 8:33 6:27 133 136 0 57
13 0:08:36 0:08:21 1 0 5 8:36 8:21 7:44 132 141 0 53
14 0:08:30 0:08:30 1 1 0 8:30 8:30 6:52 136 139 0 57
Summary 2:01:29 1:59:03 14 55 58 8:40 8:30 3:30 126 142 0 734



Split Time Moving Time Distance Elevation Gain Elevation Loss Avg Pace Avg Moving Pace Best Pace Avg HR Max HR Steps Calories
1 0:09:52 0:09:08 1 0 6 9:52 9:08 7:37 113 138 0 48
2 0:09:27 0:09:24 1 11 0 9:27 9:24 6:55 114 125 0 56
3 0:09:04 0:08:25 1 2 6 9:04 8:25 6:40 123 151 0 43
4 0:09:11 0:08:13 1 10 12 9:11 8:13 6:48 138 169 0 44
5 0:09:08 0:08:28 1 8 0 9:08 8:28 7:17 129 150 0 43
6 0:08:53 0:08:16 1 0 4 8:53 8:16 7:31 127 150 0 42
7 0:08:59 0:08:38 1 0 2 8:59 8:38 7:53 124 142 0 45
8 0:09:15 0:08:55 1 8 8 9:15 8:55 8:09 122 149 0 37
9 0:00:06 0:00:06 0.01 0 0 8:31 8:03 8:56 123 123 0 0
Summary 1:14:00 1:09:33 8.01 38 38 9:14 8:40 6:40 123 169 0 358



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" Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

* It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before... to test your limits... to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin