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...