I Will Train, Train and more Training … when I get sick of that I will train some more…

I know, I know, it’s been a while but I have a valid excuse. I have been lazy and being lazy is hard work. I mean, I have to come up with multiple excuses as to why I am not doing anything. Sitting around the house doing nothing is very tiring. I have been working my arms out hitting the snooze button; one morning I hit it so many times my hand started to hurt,I know right! Well after gorging myself on non-healthy everything and watching my abdominal region grow and then reading my own blog and seeing my goals and then realizing the marathon is only about 14 weeks away. I realized I needed to get cracking!
As you all know, I have been working on my running form and changing it to Pose running. Been slowly working on it for the last month or so. I didn’t realize I was such a slow learner. Maybe the old dog new tricks thing has some merit, but as I tell my children, “you are the boss of your body” so I told my body that it would run with the proper technique and slowly it is coming around. The real issue as I have been experiencing from sprints to distance have been my calves. They are smoked! I need to not calve load so much and learn to spring not push. After a particularly grueling WOD:
4 rounds for time:
10 knees to elbows
15 box jumps
500 meter row
This preceded a Christmas day WOD of:
400 meter run
100 jump ropes +90 meter sprint x 6
400 meter run
I found it hard to walk today. I am still working on the technique. It needs to come quickly as I start to get into the distance part of the training. So I will train. Next week I will be recording how I run so I can analyze it and I will train some more. I will post it here so stay tuned. The couch is going to have to learn to work alone for it looks like I will not be seeing it any time soon.

I haven't Forgot ... It's not Marzipan ... just no time ...

   Enjoy until i can get a blog up. Sorry for how much time it is taking ... you know life.

Shoes…the new black

I got a new pair of shoes the other day. I have heard of the company, Inov8, from multiple sources as a great pose/Crossfit shoe. I was able to get the shoes with a nice discount … 48% off… so score.

I posted it on Facebook and this was the ensuing conversation…

 

After wearing them I stand by the statement. I have always just used my running shoes when I went to the gym. Whatever the exercise, no matter what, I used the same shoe. I was going with the attitude that shoes are shoes or well, I am not at the “level” that shoes really matter. I should have learned this lesson years ago with I used to play golf regularly. I was playing at least every Saturday, sometimes multiple times during the week. I was pretty good but I had the same attitude about my level of play. My sister was engaged at the time, now married, to a NCAA golf coach and thought, hey I could learn a thing or two from him.  He took me golfing one day and on a few holes he let my use his clubs. They were Pings, the upper echelon of the golf world. I couldn’t believe how well my game improved on those holes. Really it was like night and day. Yes, I should have learned my lesson because every day I was in the gym I was wearing the same shoe. Well, after I got my new inov8’s I wanted to hit the gym/road and try them out. I picked a doozy of a first work out. 5-5-3-3-3 squats in between those 5x5 Body weight dead lifts, beginning and ending with a 500 meter row for time and 10 basketball court sprints for time.

Here is the kicker, like when I used the Pings, my game improved dead lifts and squats seemed stronger. I felt like I had a better base. There wasn’t any shifting in the knees and I felt like I had better balance. My legs were smoked by the end of the work, that was for sure, but I felt better about the workout. I didn’t have the fear  I was going to injure myself. Before when there was the shifting and such I always had that in the back of my mind and it kept me from going for heavier weights. Just to let you know a subject of a future blog  I’ll give you a sneak peak…get your weight on your squats and dead lifts up and see your run times go down…that is a guarantee.

Next I took them sprinting around the block. It is easier to run pose in a shoe the is designed to run pose. Still trying to get used to the pose method, but it is coming along. I am mostly doing drills to get the muscle memory.

So the moral of the story is…take a look at your shoes. Take a look at your workout and see if they match. I am not saying  the inov8’s are the answer for everything, but I am saying  they work for me. Go do your research and makes sure you transition correctly, another future blog. I have even started wearing them everyday because they help my duck walk problem (normally I just wear sandals).  I’m working on getting a second pair…

 

Need to get a less bright set, maybe? 

Montage … Like a Chief!

Been a long time coming but I am really excited about this post. I like to think about inspirational things. I know it might be weird … maybe it’s growing up in the 80’s and all those 80’s montage films

Whenever I hear a song that gets me going, I think “how can I make this a cool music video?”…I know I am a dork. I am really digressing.  This post isn’t about 80’s montage music, but I think I have an idea for a future post. This post IS about something that inspires me and maybe needs its own montage. Something along the Rocky Training montage.

About one year ago, maybe a little longer…who is counting, a friend of mine was laying on the floor of his garage not being able to move because of the pain originating in his back.  He received medical treatment and started physical therapy. A few months later as he was rounding second base,during his class’s party in celebration of their impending graduation, he falls to the ground in agony and is taken to the hospital; this time surgery is required. All of this was within months of his plan to run in the Marine Corp Marathon.  An accomplishment within itself, but he wasn’t running just for himself, he was running for The Organization for Autism Research. He had to defer to the next year and undergo physical therapy.

Now this individual, I will call him “Frank”, was not a slouch by any means. Among training for a marathon, he was also on fitness team on our base. He works to train the future of the Coast Guard in Physical Fitness. Frank is also a Unit Health Promotion Coordinator. He helps those struggling to maintain weight standards to make weight and learn healthy eating and fitness practices. He is also the Chairman of the Base’s Wellness Committee. Most importantly to me, Frank is a good friend who has helped and encouraged me through my fitness journey. Being a father of an autistic child, he has helped me find resources to help my autistic daughter. He helps me mentally, giving me support and telling me of his journey with his son.He is simply a darn good friend. (My daughter loves him, by the way, probably more than me…you should she the way she smiles and bats her lashes at Mr. “Frank”) 

Through his time of rehab and healing he still showed up at 0530 in the morning to help the fitness team, still encourage me, and had the marathon training schedule posted in his cubical and the shirt from The Organization for Autism Research hanging outside so he would constantly see it.

When he was healthy he trained. Took it slow but he still trained. During  his time training Frank was advanced to Chief Petty officer in the Coast Guard, a pretty huge milestone in anyone's coast guard career. A Chief in the Coast Guard is more than just a supervisor, they are someone who all should look at for leadership and mentorship, which I do. 

So finally after a long struggle to get healthy…last weekend he ran 26.2 miles for Autism Research and, most importantly, for his son.

What was his time … it’s doesn’t matter. He finished.  He had to slow down and take it easy (although I don’t know how easy a marathon can be) to stay healthy, but he did tell me he beat the time Jared from the Subway commercials finished in.  And that made him happy.

So Chief “Frank”,  on behalf of my family and others in the same situation, I say Thank You. You have inspired me, helped me, pushed me. I think you need your own Montage…Like a Chief.

Blueprints, Maintenance, and the Anti-Duck Walk

I have a lot of goals. Maybe too many…too late though, I have made them public and said it thrice. As I have been putting together my strategy I have made some realizations…I am old. Shocker, I know. I hurt getting out of bed and I didn’t even do anything. I used to be able to go without sleep and still function. Yeah…not so much now. So in order to accomplish what I need, I need to build a better body, get back down to the basics. I am starting by getting stronger. Then, I fix my feet…yes, I said feet…from the way I walk to the way I stand. I have a busy week (or I should say weeks) ahead. Starting from the ground up, no pun intended.

I have already shown you how I am going to fix my run. As anyone who has run for any length of time knows, it is a full body thing. Back, abs, shoulders and of course legs are in use. I am going to build on the basics: Push ups, pull ups, and sit ups.
Three 7 week programs. I am calling this my blueprint/maintenance phase before I get crazy knee/elbow/waist  deep into my main training.



Between these three programs I will have an incredible base for the the training to come. Add these to the above feet maintenance and changing to pose running and all my goals don’t have a chance to defeat me. I will succeed, I will endure…I will win.

Doing the Extraordinary

What! Two posts in 24 hours! This is crazy talk but I need to do it. I need to write about some thing something amazing. but first flash back time…
…May 5th, 2012, My two sisters and I run the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. For me, running was a relative term, I had gotten a stomach flu the day before and spent the all of the 4th puking. I was dehydrated and had no energy. I puked twice on the course and walked most of the time. Lets just say I was not very happy at my time, but this post isn’t about me but about my Big Sis Ash. She clocked in at 3:22:14. No judging…she has a very busy job at Purdue University and two awesome little kiddos. She has a great husband but as an Associate Head Coach of Golf at Purdue he is very busy also. She really had no time to train but she finished half dead and sore for a week.

Fast forward 3 months and a few weeks later…Ashlee calls to tell me that her department head/supervisor/head honcho supervisor guy somewhere in the Machine of Purdue University want his people to run in the Purdue Half Marathon.  She was also calling to see if I would run it with her. I couldn’t; we just couldn’t swing the finances to get me up there. I so wish I could have, though. Still as busy as before and she hadn’t run since the Mini she told me, “ I need to  do something.” Now, I am not a coach but this has become somewhat of a hobby of mine. So I know a little, maybe just enough to be dangerous, about training and endurance. I give her a plan based off of the Crossfit Endurance program. Something that could work with her schedule of basically no time. Here is what I gave her:

• Monday – AM: Sprints PM: Crossfit Type Workout
• Tuesday – Am: Leg work out PM: Tabata
• Wednesday - AM: Sprints PM: Crossfit Type Workout
• Thursday - Am: Leg work out PM: Tabata
• Friday – 5K time trial
• Saturday – Tabata

Leg workouts and Crossfit type workout no more than 10 min. She had seven weeks until race day. So she put her shoulder to the wheel and pushed. She would call me regularly to get clarification and support. I told everything I knew about what I knew. Which is not very much. With the shorter training time and its flexibility she was able to do it before and after work or sometimes she would do it on her lunch hour.


  Here is the course elevation chart for both Half marathons. A slight difference I would say. So let me highlight again. Her TOTAL workout time for the week was around 4 hours and she only run 5k time trial as her long run. She did do a 5.5 mile run just to see how she was doing but that was it. She stuck to the plan.

Today was the day.  At 0800 my sister started her Half. After 7 weeks of high interval training and no more than 28 hours of total training. She finished in 2 Hour 48 min…She is Awesome! So proud of her. She shaved off 34 min and added about 300+ more feet of elevation. Love ya, Sister. Purdue should be proud. You can really say that you… boilered up? boiled up? boiler up’ed? Whatever it is, you did it! We can all be inspired by this.

¡Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal….s!

 

I saw a fortune cookie this morning that stated “Failure is the mother of all success”.  I showed it to my wife and she said she liked it. I thought to myself, “I think I like it…I mean, I am a subject matter expert on it. Been doing it my whole life…pretty good at it actually.” However, I have had success; I wouldn’t have married my wife, I wouldn’t have join the Coast Guard, so I probably wouldn’t be doing this “Life Endurance thingy”, so I wouldn’t be doing this blog and would me that you wouldn’t be reading this at this time, scary I know…butterfly effect and all that. A while ago I was looking for motivation and came across this video. I liked the video but I like it even more now after thinking about this…

 

There is also this famous quote from Michael Jordan:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

So what is the difference between those who just fail and those that fail then succeed?

…They set goals for themselves.

Below is a study from Harvard…I think they know a thing or two about … well, stuff… 

“There was a study done at Harvard between 1979 and 1989. Graduates of the MBA program were asked “Have you set clear written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” The results of that question were:

1. Only 3% had written goals and plans
2. 13% had goals but not in writing
3. 84% had no specific goals at all

10 years later Harvard interviewed the members of that class again and found:

1. The 13% who had goals but not in writing were earning on average twice as much as the 84% of those who had no goals at all
2. The 3% who had clear, written goals were earning on average 10 times as much as the other 97% of graduates all together. The only difference between the groups is the clarity of the goals they had for themselves”

SOURCE: http://www.betternetworker.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23456

So what does this have to do with the price of Marzipan in China? Well nothing…really. But it does have to do with me and probably some of you reading this. I have some things I want to accomplish. I have had “plans” almost everyday of my life. I have had many Marzipan moments from opening a cheese shop to becoming a high school art teacher. But none of these came to fruition for a few reasons: One – it was Marzipan, two – I had no real set goals on how to accomplish it. I didn’t have any smaller goals to set to be a launching pad for the larger goals.

So, in theory, goal setting is easy.

1. Figure out what it is.
2. Then do it

Easy right? Wrong…In the Coast Guard they have us set goal using the SMART model:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Timely

Doing this , or something like it, is why those Harvard MBA grads turned their 150,000 dollar education into a bazillions dollars… give or take a few gazillion. By not doing this, sadly, I am not a Cheesemonger … sad I know. It’s ok, I have gotten over it (Deep inside me the desire is still there). That Marzipan just will not go away.

So, I have goals; I am going to write them down and I implore you to help me.

• Change my Running Cadence to Pose running before my marathon in  April
• Run two full marathons in a twelve month period. I am running one in April and another with my brother in law in October next year.
• Become a level 1 Crossfit trainer before December 31st of next year.
• Become a Crossfit Endurance Coach before December 31st of next year.
• lose 20 lbs. of fat
• Run 75 miles in the Relay for Life 24 hour Ultra Marathon in April. (My marathon will be my warm up:)

I think that is it. whew...when you write it down it looks like a lot. It’s only six things but they are doozies. But, I want to make these not Marzipan. I want to look back at 2012 and 2013 and say, “wow I finished them!” I will do it. It might take the entire time, but I will do it. Anybody want to come along with the ride?  If I am driving this thing, we will probably get lost and someone might lose a limb, but in the end we will have done something great for ourselves and, in my case, my children. Maybe for others it will be for a sister or brother, mother or father, a friend or other family member. They don’t have to be the same goals I am doing, but do something. Don’t wait for the new year, those fail anyway. Start this month, next week,…now.

I will end now, but I will leave you with one more inspirational video…then go forth and do great things, because life is like a mop.

Changing The Cadence

First off, I want to thank those who commented on my last post. I thought long about what y'all said about why I should choose one race or why I should do another. I have found a race that will allow me to do a marathon and it will allow me to prepare for the 24 hour run...so, I win...I think... I mean, I am talking about torturing myself by running 26.2 miles then a few weeks later running 75 miles in a 24 hour period.  The marathon I am running is the Charlottesville Marathon; it's April 6th and yes, on a Saturday. I have a little less than 6 months to train for this one so I have plenty of time but I will be cutting it close. What? Why will I be cutting it close you ask...that is an excellent question thank you for asking. I will be cutting it close because I will be changing my stride, or cadence, to Pose style of running. Below is a video talking about the Pose Concept.

So this and some runners from my running club/team I'm on have convinced me to change. It's more energy economical (Dad you would like that).  Basically more fuel efficient for humans. I could become the Prius of homo sapiens...ok, maybe Prius isn't the best example. Maybe the Jetta of ... ok, tha'ts not so manly either.  I think you get the point and for the record, good gas mileage is manly. So how does it work? Well, because I can't afford/find a Pose running coach I have turned to Youtube.com for instruction. Below is a short tutorial on how to Pose Run.

 There are tons of videos and books on this method. I am pretty excited to start the process but I have be running the same way my whole life and now at ripe old age of 35 I am going to change. Ever heard the saying about the old dog and the new tricks? Yeah, this transition of mine is going to be interesting. Good thing there are smarter people than me out there. You can youtube pose running drills and get tons of them. I am going to be trying out a six week training program shown below...I know, this is a video heavy blog but why re-invent the wheel? Right?

I will be starting this coming up week. I will be posting my progress through the next six weeks. Along with reshaping the arch of my foot and hopefully getting my toe to the point where I can run more than a mile on it. I will be posting each of the week's drills and training if any of you would like to join me. Post comments of how you are doing and we can wallow in the torture of running; not just running, which is bad on it own, but running a way we have never done before so it is even more miserable and all around just bad...bad bad bad. But, it is better than running in such a way where in a few years my knee will start to go out and my body will break down more. Upon researching Pose, I have found out your running career can last longer and it is possible to run faster with less energy. I like that. So join me or cheer me on...I am going to need to pretty much all of it.

The Next Challenge

I have nothing on the radar. My calendar is clear as a summer's day. The race I was training for has come and gone. October weigh-ins are in the bag. Holidays are approaching and I am hearing the call of the couch. I think about working out, but the Xbox is like, "hey bro, I haven't seen you in a while..." and I am like," I know right," and it's like, "you know you have a really cool new game." Then Borderlands 2 walks up and is like, "Word, XB.  Hey, you pre-ordered me and paid money just to leave me sitting on the shelf?" Then I am like, "Sorry, I really am...I promise I'll play you tonight .. really, I swear."  Then Xbox and Borderlands 2 just shake their electronic heads and say, "Yeah, what evs." Yes, conversations like that do go through my head and they come more often and are harder to resist when my race calendar looks like an empty room with that annoying cricket that you can never find.

So, I went to the Internet, that modern marvel with all our answers. I went looking for a race to really train for. I have done a 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon. I have even done 24 hour run, where I logged 50 miles. I thought I need to do a full marathon. Now, this is was not a easy task. There about a hundred thousand million marathons out there. Every state has about four million of them ...but it seems that everyone of them are run on a Sunday. I don't run or train on Sundays.  It is my belief to keep the Sabbath holy.  It is my choice and it limits me. Personally, religion aside, I don't understand why Sunday is the day of choice when it comes to Marathons. I mean the last thing I want to do the day after running 26.2 miles is go to work. Saturday just makes more sense to me.. just saying. I digress ... After an extensive search I found one, probably a horrible first full marathon, but beggars can't be choosers. The Blue Ridge Marathon...with the slogan of being the world's toughest road marathon. With 26.4 miles +3984 feet / -3984 feet I think it has some leg to stand on with that claim. It's on April 20th, a Saturday, in Roanoke Virginia. This race would be something I would have to train hard for. It would really test myself and the program I am doing. There is an issue...it's the same weekend of the 24 hour Relay for Life. I did this run last year and wanted to do it again. I wanted to see if I could do 75 miles this time or at least do the 50 in a much shorter time than last year. This would be something I would really have to train for also. I am torn...get the marathon under my belt or push myself past my previous race...help me blog readers... you are my only hope. 

Weigh your thoughts in on the comments or suggest another race. Then I'll be able to beat that nagging Xbox/couch voice and man up to training again.

Making The Weight

Quick post today, but it needs a back story. Nine to ten years ago I made the decision to join the U.S. Coast Guard. I walked into the recruiters office said " I am thinking about joining the Coast Guard. What do I need to do?". He took one look at me and said "Well, we have a weight standard so let's go ahead and weight you to see how far off you are". I step on the scale and... to my chagrin... I had a lot of work to do before I could put on the blue, 75 pounds of work to do. That is more weight than my soon to be ten year old, who weighs in at whopping 62 lbs.  I did it, not the most healthy way, but I did it. For the eight years of my Coast Guard (CG) career I have hated the months of April and Oct. These are the months the CG weighs the work force and for most of those eight years I have been "taped". This is the term for not making weight on the scale but you are measured  for body-fat percentage. Each six months I have been right on the bubble and have barely made taping in. Every six I have made myself sick, trying to get there. Every six months I did my "routine"; I'll save you the details, needless to say pretty unhealthy. But still every six months I got "taped" and passed weigh-in. Yesterday I walked into the office that does the weigh-ins, stepped on the scale, and for the first time in over 6 years I heard the words "You're good, have a great day".  I stepped off the scale and walked out...


...I am still smiling...

Running Tired, Endurance and ... Do Mustaches Help You Run Faster

 This weekend was the Colonial 200. A 200 mile relay (well, actually it is 206.8 but who is counting) that starts in Charlottesville, VA and ends Williamsburg, VA. Teams trekked across Virginia with signs along the way stating "Marathons are easy; try running without sleep" and "Only 95 miles to go...you're over halfway there!". I know. Crazy, but someone has to do it. I was on the team The Shallow Water Runners, a running team/club on the Coast Guard base. It was made up of 12 brave/crazy souls posed for greatness and glory, and I was one of them...until the toe thing happened... insert sad face. I still wanted to participate, so I volunteered to ride a bike as safety at night with the runners. I thought to myself that this could be my test of endurance. This could be the litmus strip for how my training was going. We had two vans. Each van had six runners in it and we staggered vans. Example: Race started at 0830 and van 1 had the first six legs then had a break while the next van did
six legs and so on and so forth. Bike safety riders were only at night so I had the day off, so to speak. I drove the van to drop runners off at their leg, cheer for support, and hand out water.

At night, lit up like a Christmas tree, I rode in front of the runners to run interference with on-coming traffic; only had to dive for the ditch twice. I trekked with the runners all six legs handing them water and waving off cars. We headed to the hotel for a few hours, 1.5 to be exacted before having to be at the next set of legs a 0206 in the morning. I rode with the runners until 0830 in the morning, covering 60.48 miles of the 206.8. It was tiring and I was riding tired. Imagine that these runners were running the same 60.48 miles I was biking- down and up hills-some with crazy grading. At points my legs burned and my lungs hurt, but all in all I was able to do it pretty easily. I was tired, but I think it was more to due with the fact I was moving on 1.5 hours of sleep. I endured, I rode, and I supported those souls running to show to themselves and others they could do it.  I think I proved to myself that I am doing it. I am able to do the things I want without doing a crazy training schedule. Something every person can do and I am able to do it with only a 10 min workout on some days. Pretty incredible!

So here comes the real question...does a mustache make you run faster? Hold on, think about it. I have more forward weight, forward momentum moving me forward faster. Also, it breaks up wind patterns in front of me allowing me to break wind tension much easier than someone without a stache. Vote in the poll at what you think, but on a parting note, look at what the fastest guy on the team and I have in common...just saying...

In The Beginning...There Was...Marzipan

Below is a re-post from the original The Marzipan Incident, a blog I started about four years ago...I was going to start up on it again but I guess from years of inactivity Blogger erased/lost/cancelled/sold to aliens my password so I have been lucky in being able to start a blog over from scratch. If you have been curious as to where the name of my blog comes from, I have re-posted the original post, and want to reflect on it, as a blogger. So enjoy ... there will be more after the flashback...

Marzipan-
"Although it is believed to have originated in Persia (present-day Iran) and to have been introduced to Europe through the Turks, there is some dispute between Hungary and Italy over its origin. Marzipan became a specialty of the Baltic Sea region of Germany. In particular, the city ofLübeck has a proud tradition of marzipan manufacture (Lübecker Marzipan). The city’s manufacturers like Niederegger still guarantee their Marzipan to contain two thirds almonds by weight, which results in a juicy, bright yellow product."  
                     -wikipedia

Basic Marzipan Recipe:

Uncooked:
1/4 pound ground blanched almonds
1/4 pound powdered sugar
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. salt

Cooked:
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
4 cups ground blanched almonds

The above would be all and good if this Blog was about Marzipan... but it's not. For everybody who really knows me knows that i have a little quirk. My attention span is not long and I get obsessed with (fill in the blank) very quickly and due to one particular moment in my life my family has dubbed these spontaneous moments as "Marzipan moments". You'll have to ask my brother-in-law to describe it to you. So "The Marzipan Incident" is dedicated to those moments. What ever it is and how ever short it might be lived, it will be here. So stay tuned for the first because it was what inspired the blog. Excited? I know I am.

So were am I going with this? The original blog was very short lived, a few posts about a Wooden Articulated Man named Pan. The second Marzipan Incident is what you are reading now. My second attempt and hopefully it will have a longer tenure. What do I want out of this? Is it just a "Marzipan Moment"? I hope not, I am hoping this new philosophy, this Life Endurance thingy is here to stay.

So what should you expect:

• Posts of my progress
• My work outs
• How I Do it
• Marzipan (can't give it up)

What I expect from you:

• To be entertained 
• Maybe learn something
• Maybe every once in a while a encouraging post

As I work to get back into the flow after the toe thing and as I go on the road the Friday to ride safety with my running team while they trek 200 miles across Virginia for the Colonial 200, I'll need those encouraging posts.  

An Interesting Side Effect

Well, it has been an interesting week.  I am within two weeks of the Colonial 200, a 200 mile relay that I am participating in and have been training for the last 2 months, I discovered that I will be advancing in my career (more money so score), and I discovered a five pound weight falling from a height of at least 2.5 feet produces enough kinetic force to break human bone. Who would this test subject be, you ask? That would be me. Now, I love science as much as the next guy, I mean my job has it in it's name, but this science experiment is one I would have loved to not have been a part. I don't even have a cool story to go with it, like I was saving children from a burning building, or I just finished a One rep max on the Clean and jerk and when I dropped the weight it landed on my foot. No, it was none of these...my story runs along these line: I was in the garage looking for my jump-rope so I could complete my WOD, I was bare-foot and my garage (like most garages) is concrete, this is foreshadowing by the way. I found said rope on a table with a bunch of the boys' stuff on it. I picked it up and the next thing I knew was my toes were on fire. After I peeled myself off the ceiling and kids weren't saying things like, "Mom what are those words Dad is saying" or "is Dad dying?" I realized a weight had been hiding/lurking under the kids' stuff and I had disturbed it slumber so it had sought to take its revenge upon me. I had it x-rayed.  It was confirmed, no race for me. One week of no exercise, to allow the swelling to go down, and 30 days of no impact PT (Physical Training). Insert sad face. I had been training for this event for 2 months and was really excited to try the new training regiment out and to put a proverbial sock in the mouths of the haters on the running team at base. So what does one do when training hard for something and something happens with in weeks of the event that leave him unable to accomplished the it? Well...pout on the couch with his foot up.



So at this point we are going to have a side bar. Old me, lots of me to love, and tons of fun are phrases that would describe me. New me, smaller than old me but still grossly obese (according to the Coast Guard and the archaic BMI, I mean we ought to be clacking rocks together if we are using this) and I had the metabolism of a snake. Feed me and I would be good for a month. Problem was, I loved the taste of food so I would eat every day like I was preparing for winter.

So back to the previous line of thought. Based on past experience a week of inactivity and eating like I normally do, I would gain weight. Interestingly, I haven't.  In fact, I have lost wieght. What! Yes, I have lost weight this week. I haven't been gorging myself, but I haven't been watching what I was eating, either.  But, at the end of this week of inactivity I have lost one pound. To me this is crazy talk. I have been "running" two years now and this has never been a side effect I have had when I have stopped training. After two months of prescribing to the CFE philosophy, my resting metabolism is effectively still burning fat. Now, I don't have delusions of grandeur and think my body can maintain this for very long, but for this short period I have been okay.

Not wanting to push my luck, and as I have been cleared by medical to do no impact PT, I will be starting again tomorrow. Mostly it will consist of bike, kettlebells, weights (not the heartless vindictive kind), and the Versa climber. I want to keep that resting metabolism; I want to keep finding new things about myself and things i never thought my body could do. Once the toe heals up I will be hitting the road again,. but hopefully with less impact.

ath·lete noun \ˈath-ˌlēt, ÷ˈa-thə-ˌlēt\ VS. non-athlete noun\ nōn ath-ˌlēt, ÷ˈa-thə-ˌlēt\

ath·lete     noun \ˈath-ˌlēt, ÷ˈa-thə-ˌlēt\

: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

 non-athlete noun\ nōn ath-ˌlēt, ÷ˈa-thə-ˌlēt\

: a person who is not an athlete

I have been pondering these words as I have been cruising the blogs and website. Brian MacKenzie, who everybody is probably wondering if I have a man crush on, talks about training an athlete or when referring the someone who he is training as an athlete. I have even had a co-worker, the same one who gently pushed or shoved (take your pick)  me into running, tell me I have to eat like an athlete on run day so I have the energy to finish the run. Again I have pondered this...am I an athlete?

By trade I am a Marine Science Tech., and for those not in the know, I don't do any type of marine science. It's just the name of the Rate in the Coast Guard. But I do enforce environmental regulation and that means I interpret law. I get all dirty in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations where terms like "Discharge" and "Release" have two very different meanings. To the point that two different laws are brought into play and whether you can bring criminal proceedings to the table. Two words, huge implications. Why tell you this? Just to drive the point home about how much I love to analyze verbiage, and to bring out my inner nerd. He needs to get out every once in awhile or things get rough. Okay, on to the point.  Athlete...to be or not to be? The definition "a person who is trained or skilled..." so let break this down, am I skilled? No, I am not skilled; if you have ever seen me run you would agree. My form is not good and I do not run very efficiently.  Remember, I am the intoxicated orangutan. Next question...am I trained? Now this I have been taught and I am currently studying to be better. I am trying to reshape my form to Pose running, while I have not be formally trained by a form coach I have read up on it and have watched many videos and I am currently training myself to run this way. So now comes in the timing...if you are in the process of being trained or in training are you an athlete? Are the players in the JV (Junior Varsity) Football athletes? would you call them trained or skilled. They practice daily to be great and to get to the Varsity level and then on to the next level and then the next level. It really never ends, they are always training to be better and always training to get to the next level.

So I have established that I am in training, this in itself does not make one an athlete.  You can train in chess but are you an athlete? Lets move on.  Next part of the definition is "... exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina." Well, I do not think you will get an argument that running or Crossfit meet this qualification. 

So conclusion: is this intoxicated orangutan-esk person an athlete...drum roll...Yes. What?!  Yes, the answer is Yes. Am I working on it? Yes. I am putting forth the effort? Yes. Do I want greatness? Yes. Am I skilled? Working on it. Am I trained? ...ish...working on it. I ask advice from people who are and I read a lot about it. Knowledge is power but the application of knowledge is more powerful by far. So my crossfit WOD today was:

7 rounds 

7 pull ups

14 burpees 

21squats

did it in 22 minutes...and it sucked. Lets see if i can do it better next week. I'll get better, I'll get faster. That is what defines an athlete...

...maybe dictionary.com needs to change their definition.  

Bad Days...Bad week

You ever had one of those bad days? The one when nothing goes right or the ones, my personal favorite (insert sarcastic font), the days that are just blah. Nothing really bad happens but then nothing really good happens. The day when you do not "see" anything, good or bad, just Vanilla. Well, I wasn't having a bad day...it was turning into a bad week. I read somewhere that if you write something down and put it somewhere you can see it, it will help you accomplish whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish. So I went on the internet for something motivational:

- LEARN TO LOVE PAIN

- DOING A THING NEARLY RIGHT AND DOING IT EXACTLY RIGHT IS USUALLY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE.

- IT'S WHAT YOU HAVE LEFT AFTER YOU GIVE 100%.

- THE MAJORITY OF FAILURES IN LIFE ARE SIMPLY THE VICTIMS OF THEIR MENTAL DEFEATS.

Yeah, no...at 0500 in the morning, when you are trying to psych yourself up to do 1600m of sprints and then do a full day's work, this is not what I needed to hear. As I stared at my clock I got up and made the drive to work. I walked up the stairs and looked at the treadmill, put my earphones on then I sprinted, 1600m worth. It sucked, at every rest period it was 90 secs of convincing myself to do another one. 6 sets later I was done. Tired. Wet. Sore. I took a shower, went to work, and taught all day long. The next day got up; went to work. Didn't have to teach that day and thought I should go to the gym looking at 45lb thrusters for 100 reps in the face, and crying like a little girl. Once I had peeled myself out of the fetal position I got up from under my desk, changed into my gym gear, went to the gym.  I stared at the barbell as I put in my ear phones in and in sloth-like persistence I did 45lb thursters for 100 reps and it sucked. Even now as I am writing this there is a:

6 rounds
21-18-15-12-9-6x reps
Knees to elbows
Dips
Squat jumps
KB swings

Workout waiting for me...and once again I have no motivation. What makes this week different than last week? Last week was hard but I still was motivated.  The week before was hard and so on and so forth. In perspective I did the workouts. Every one. It wasn't as easy to get started; it wasn't as easy to finish. I did start and I did finish. Is that motivation? If so, I need another word for what I need. So after being lazy and drinking a Cheerwine (only the best soda ever) I feel a little better, thanks for letting me vent. Well, those 6 rounds aren't going to do themselves and there is also the "Fun" 5K Friday 0545 tomorrow morning...yyyaaaaayyy :/

So with parting words I leave you this...in hopes of some motivation...good day to all.

Marzipan WOD: hitting the wall, diet, duck walks, and still no Marzipan

You can take your pick, health, mid-life crisis, peer pressure...job security but I started running, a lot. I hated it, still do.  It started with 5k's and just running off base at lunch. My father had been trying to get me to run for years and I had, off and on. Ok, lets get some something straight right from the beginning, the term Run. I use it loosely, I really don't know if I would call what I do "running", The definition is:


run·ning [ruhn-ing]
noun
1.the act of a person, animal, or thing that runs.


Images of graceful creatures moving in space.

That is not me, I look more like an intoxicated orangutan, I think i have hit my self in the face with my flailing arms, or slow shuffle, almost zombie-esk. What I do inspires words like, "is he ok" and "do we need to call the paramedics". I even had a student of mine come back for me to make sure I wasn't dead in the woods and getting eaten by some woodland creature. But I still did it, mile after mile, and hating every step of it. In one year's time I did three 5k's, two half marathons and a 24 hour utlra-marathon where I did 50 miles. After the second 13.1 I was so sick of running that the thought of it literally made me sick. Now I know that compared to others it might not seem a lot but to someone who hates an act to the core it was just too much. I wanted to stop but then there is the issue that the Coast Guard wants me to below a certain weight, I had to keep doing it.

In comes, from stage left, the Four Hour Body

,

 Liberty wanted to start a diet. I was all for it, if it worked maybe I wouldn't have to run as much, so score. she came home from the library with this book. We read it, started it and loved it. It worked, it wasn't very hard. It had different  parts, some for running, weight lifting, dieting, sleeping and others. I read most of the book. I was hooked, in the running section in the book he introduced a man by the name of Brian Mackenzie. He is a kind of pariah in the endurance community,  but I am drinking the koolaid. He has a LESS is MORE approach, I think I heard angels singing when I read it. He founded Crossfit Endurance and promotes Max effort short interval philosophy. I love it. No more long runs and my 5k time is dropping, which is also good because then I get to run less. Yes, I still hate running every single step but I love working out and how I feel after. So, for the last 6 weeks I have be training for a 200 mile relay with a team from the base. I have been using  CFE (cross fit endurance) as my training and it's been working swimmingly. This is what I do:

M/W - 1600m of sprints, 10min CF WOD
T/TH - leg work out
Friday - 5k for time

I have four weeks left to train for the race so I am starting two a days:

M/W - 1600m of sprints, BJJ and Reflex and development class
t/TH - legs, 10 min CF WOD, BJJ
friday - 5k for time x 2 
Sat - 5k for time

should be fun (insert sarcasm font) but at least I am not running 7 miles 3 times a week or have a 10 mile Saturday run. 

So why tell you this. Maybe it's a mid-life crisis. Maybe I am just sick of struggling with my weight. Maybe through all of this I have found that I walk like a duck, and that is bad. I am changing and jumping straight into this. I need your support and maybe you can jump in too. THis is going to be a chronology of my journey. Come along if you want it, might just be Marzipan but you can help me keep it real, join in or just watch it should be a entertaining if anything:)   

One parting note: 

I'll be buying it!