Ruck training

Started training again. My first full marathon in April and going for 75 miles for my third 24 hour relay for life. Now that I am healthy again and trying to stay that way also did some video while on the ruck. Enjoy:)

Interesting Rules

What do you think of these rules? Post your comments I really want to know.

The Importance of Fitness in the Battle against Cancer (Guest blogger Melanie)

Melanie contacted me to guest blog. She has a message that she wants to get out there and I am 100% behind her. It is also appropriate timing since I am looking down the road the Relay for life 24 hour run that I am doing at the end of April. If you or you know so one when is fighting cancer please pass this along. Enjoy what she has to say then go out and do something to fight cancer! Be it exercises or doing a relay for life or any of the thousands of runs and events out there that support those that are in the fight for their lives.

"Finding out that you or someone you love has cancer can be devastating. You may have many questions that include ways to take care of yourself and what you can expect in terms of treatment. If your fitness level is low, or if you don't devote a lot of time on your physical well-being, you should consider a fitness regimen that includes a diet designed to help in your fight.

Any cancer diagnosis, whether it's breast cancer, leukemia or mesothelioma, needs a proactive response when it comes to treatment and getting yourself healthy. Previously, cancer patients were advised to rest as much as possible rather than partake in strenuous exercise. Today, the American Cancer Society recommends regular exercise with a healthy diet as a means of battling cancer and improving their sense of well being.

If you have been diagnosed with a form of cancer, the only time you should avoid increased physical activity is if the activity causes shortness of breath. The exercise you choose to do should fit with your overall health, and once you find the right type of activity, you will have a greater quality of life. Increased activity, paired with a diet filled with cancer fighting super foods, can help you reach your optimum weight and give you the strength you need to fight your illness.

Cancer prevention guidelines provide recommendations for the amount of physical exercise that should be engaged in for both adults and children. Even smaller amounts of activity performed throughout the day can be beneficial. An important factor to remember is to never give up. As a cancer patient, you may have good days and bad days, but as long as you keep your goals in mind, you will have the strength to fight. Persistence will help you keep your bones and muscles strong, improve your blood flow and lower your risk for other illnesses.

A healthy fitness level and a healthy weight can also be used as a preventative measure against cancer. By exercising three times a week and sticking with a healthy diet, you can have the best defense against developing cancer later in life. While there are no absolutes, you are still prepared in the fight against any illness. You can work toward and maintain goals that can help lessen your risk factor, and if you do find yourself diagnosed with cancer, you will be in better shape to begin your fight to survive."


You can read more about what Melanie has to say about nutrition, fitness and the fight again cancer on her blog on the Mesothelioma site.

Training in la Paleo loca

 

I have been training. As you all know I have thrown the long slow run type training out the window and have adopted High intensity  Crossfit Endurance style. Working out pretty good. training 3-4 times a week. Less time on the road, more time in the gym. I changed my running style to Pose Running. About 4 months ago I broke my toe. I hadn’t really ran anything longer than a few hundred meters since. Last week as per my training schedule I had a 5k time trial. I posted a 38:48 min time. considering I hadn’t run anywhere close to that distance in 4 months I was happy. This week, after a week of training in the gym and HIIT (high intensity interval training), I hit the road. I felt stronger, technique came together. I actually felt stronger the longer I ran. I posted a 32:30…can you say boom… pretty good after one week of training. Gave me momentum going into this week. I am going to train harder but not longer.

Also, I am using Paleo to fuel my training. Loving it and no Paleo isn’t the new Atkins.  I am reading the book Paleo Diet for the Athlete very interesting and I haven’t felt better. The best fueling regiment I have ever used for training.  I am looking forward to what next week has to offer. 

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?