5 Mile Run

Hello all! Feeling good right now. Just got done watching some college lacrosse after my 5 mile run. Yep, today' schedule called for a 5 mile run. Having done this same distance last weekend, I was interested to see how I would do. Last week was a struggle. I got through it (in better time then I thought I would). But it was tough and I had trouble running with my water belt, etc.

Today was much better. To begin with, I wore the hydration belt differently. I had the bottle on my hip (like a holstered gun) instead of in the small of my back. It was much easier to take out while running. I also refused to look at my Garmin again until I knew I had to be close to the mileage I wanted. This let me just get lost in my music and have my mind wander a bit. It was much better. My first glance at the Garmin came at 4.16 miles. NICE!

My time was much better then before- which again was surprising. For some reason, my left foot hurt for the first mile or two. So I thought I was running slower. Add to that we still have those strong wind gusts, and I felt for sure I wouldn't run fast...but I was wrong. Time was 51:12 for my 5 miles. Not as fast as I ultimately want to run, but a far cry from the 14-15 minute miles when I was starting!

I also wore sunglasses while running today. It was mostly cloudy, though the sun did peek out from time to time. but what I found was it was really helpful in keeping my eyes from watering when the cold wind blew in my face. It was a big help actually- mostly from a morale issue!

Anyway, schedule is a stretch and strengthen day tomorrow. But for P90X it's an off day. I will probably do X Stretch to loosen up a bit. Plus I have an indoor soccer game tomorrow night, so I'll get a little sweat on there too.

3.5 Mile Run

Well, the snow didn't come...yet. It looks like we got somewhat lucky. The storm veered off the ciast and missed us. But they say it is wrapping back around and will end up hitting us tonight and tomorrow, dumping 3-6" on us by end of day tomorrow. Not that bad considering what we got recently, and what we could have gotten today. But the high, hurricane-force winds are still a real threat. And boy were they gusting already today!

So, I got home from work today and decided to try and get my run in with the little daylight I had left. The schedule called for 3.5 miles today. I hit the roads and knew right away it was going to be a tough run. the wind was blowing hard. It made running difficult at times as it was like a wall you had to run through. It sucked. It was also very cold, cutting through you like a knife and making my eyes water. Miserable!

Due to that my mindset changed right away. I said to myself, "I'm going to go slow. Just get through the run and don't worry about your time/pace.". So I decided not to look at my time on the watch. i covered it with my sleeve and didn't look at it- I just ran. When I started getting close to the distance (roughly) I thought I needed, I snuck a peek at the bottom of my Garmin to verify mileage- not looking at time. When I finally finished, I figured my time was going to be pretty bad- rough weatherand all. to my surprise, it was the fastest time for me at 3.5 miles yet. I did it in almost 36 minutes flat. When I did 3.5 miles before, the best I did was just over 37. I was amazed because my pace didn't seem near as fast as that one, yet my time was better- and that was with running into the wind a lot (espeically on a lot of the uphills-sucked!). So, I guess I'm getting a little faster. I still don't really care about my times right now, but it's always fun to see the little incremental improvements along the way!

2 Mile Run

Hello all. sorry for the absence from the blog. My schedule has been a bit crazy the last few days. I am working on soem big projects for work. As such, time has been limited to do much.

In fact, I missed any/all workouts yesterday. I literally was busy from roughly 6am until midnight working on different things. So, tonight I went for the 2 mile run I missed yesterday. It was all I had time to squeeze in. Since this is also a recovery week for P90X, I don't feel bad about only one workout today. My body is a little beat up right now anyway. Hopefully I can get back on track shortly.

We are also bracing for another winter storm here in Baltimore. They are saying this storm will look liek a hurricane on radar and will bring hurricane strength wind gusts along with a decent amount of snow. We won't get hit with the 2 foot snow we had the last two times (each). But they are saying 8-14". Trust me- no fun. Especially when we still have at least 6" on the ground left over from the double blizzards from 2 weeks ago. Thsi sucks. I'm especially worried about losing power wit the high winds. It's really cold and I have 2 small children at home. I don't want to have to wrap them in a bunch of blankets to keep them from becomng popcicles! Also, I am concerned about the impact more snow will have on my ability to run.....so pray that we get the lighter side of the totals!!!

3.5 Mile Run and Yoga

Hello all. I've seen a little spike in traffic since Jeff pimped me on his site. So welcome to any new faces out there. Your words of encouragement are very appreciated!

Today, my half marathon schedule called for a 3.5 mile run. I was on the fence about getting out there to run because another storm system has moved in. Lucky for us, no snow this time. This one decided to dump sleet and freezing rain instead (fun!). It had just started when I got home from work today. I sat there looking at it trying to convince myself to go out and run. It seemed to be letting up a little, so I talked my self into running by saying I could squeeze in at least 2 miles before it started to get heavy and before the sunset.

I ran up to our bedroom, layered up the cold gear, grabbed the Garmin and the iPod and hit the road. Just my luck- it started sleeting heavily. It was all I could do to not stop during the first few minutes. It was cold, wet, sleet was hitting me hard in the face (and eyes). In short- it sucked. But after the first half mile, it seemed to lighten up again and I decided to keep going. At the 2 mile mark, I told myself not to be a wuss and that I was already out in it and wet, so why not just do the last 1.5 miles? So I did.

One thing I didn't do was look at my watch timer at all. I figured with the bad weather, I would be happy just getting it done- no matter the pace. However, when I stopped, I was shocked to see I had run those 3.5miles faster then any of my previous times at that distance. I am quite happy because I'm still seeing some real progress each and every time out. Baby steps I know, but encouraging nonetheless.

The P90X schedule calls for a recovery week this week as it is week 4. Today was Yoga. I'm short on time, so I only did the Warrior section at the start (1st half of the DVD). Still it was enough to get me sweating heavily again and reminded me how farI have yet to go to get back into shape.

5 Mile Run

Saturday was a scheduled 5 miles run. this followed a 40 minute cross training on Friday. So, let me start there.

Friday I decided to use the Kenpo X DVD for my P90X as my cross train. And I switched the legs and back workout to Saturday. I tried to push myself during the Kenpo to keep my heart rate up as high as I could. I figured it would be a good way to push my cardio base without pounding on my legs by running. Got a great workout in. Felt good and it als helped with osme of the soreness from my heaviest training week so far.

Saturday, I saw the running schedule called for a 5 miles run. I was quite nervous as this would be the longest I have ever run (4 miles last weekend was the record for me so far). I got a little bit of a break as the weather was awesome- well, awesome in comparison to what we've had recently. It was in the low 40's and really sunny. So, instead of 3 layers, I only put on 2 layers of gear, plus I didn't wear my hit or gloves. However, knowing that this run would probably take me over 45 minutes, I decided to take some hydration out with me as well as a GU gel pack. I didn't want to hit a wall while running.

Overall, I felt pretty good about the run. I managed to do this run in 54:10. So I was able to keep my mile paces under 11:00. Which for me is huge. Just a few weeks ago, I was struggling with 14-15:00 miles. I'm seeing improvement every time, which is positive. My only issues with the run were these:

1) I have to get used to running with a hydration belt and how to drink and run at the same time. The weight of the water bottle on my backside made me feel awkward while running. I really thought about it a lot in the first mile. And, to take my first drink (after abotu2.5 miles), I had to stop quickly to get it out, take a drink, and put it back in.

2) I have to get used to eating the GU gel while running. My hands were so sweaty, I had trouble getting the pack open and eating it. I ended up stopping quickly to do this. I'm sure this will come with practice.

3) I need to find the right thing to use as my liquid hydration. For today's run I mixed up a batch of P90X recovery drink. Normally, after a hard workout, I drink this stuff. And it tastes SO GOOD. but between the platic taste of my waterbottle, and the thickness of the liquid, it just wasn't a good fit for my run. It was fine after- just not during. I picked up some of the GU hydration drink mix as well as some Propel mix and I am going to test them out during my runs to see what I like best.

Anyway, today is sunday and I'm taking a rest day. I am not as sore as I was right after the run. When the run ended, I felt like I needed a nap! And my legs were pretty tight. Grabbed a shower and stayed in it a while just relaxing! So I thought I'd be sore today. but I really am not. Which is a good sign I think. It shows my body is adapting well to the extra work.

Shoulders and Arms

Got in a shoulders and arms workout last night. i have a lot of stuff going on with work right now. Much of it is pretty stressful. So it's really dominating my thoughts at the current time. As such, my focus duing my workout was lacking. I did the best I could and tried to do as much as I can. I still felt like I got a good workout in, so I guess it was ok.

I also had a late soccer game last night (11pm). We had no subs and the other team had two full lineups. It was fun! We ended up winning 6-3. I was pretty damn busy in goal. Since we had no subs my guys got pretty tired. Ususally, I would have had some trouble in this kind of game- especially beforeI started working out again. I would have gotten tired pretty quickly and had trouble making saves at the end of the game. But since I've been running and working out (and dropping weight), I felt good all game long. And it showed. I was on fire. I was damn tough to beat. And the other team had two former pro indoor players on the field- including one who just quit and is young (25). If I hadn't been in the process of getting fit, I bet I wouldn't have had the game I did.

Speaking of weight, it is amazing how fast I'm dropping weight. When I started this P90X round with the half marathin traiing, I was the heaviest I've ever been. I weighed 218 lbs. This morning, I weighed 205.5 and I haven't even completed 3 whole weeks of training! When I finished P90X last time, I weighed 197.5 lbs. So, I'm not that far away from thatlaready after 3 weeks. I don't expect to keep up this pace in terms of weight loss, but it's exciting for me!

3.5 mile Run

Hi there! Quick post as I'm tapped and need to hit the sack. I did a 2 mile run yesterday (per the running schedule). I pushed it hard (for me) and ran my fastest back to back miles since college. Of course- I wasn't even close to my time from college, but considering my lack of running experience, and my lack of overall fitness right now, I'll take it.

Today I got in a 3.5 mile run as called for in my half marathin training schedule. I got it done in a fairly good pace. this was especially challenging considering the strong wind we had today due to a small storm system coming through. It made it pretty cold too- about 25 degrees. Lungs were burning all run.

I was supposed to do shoulders and arms today too, but I'm wiped from an all day meeting. so I'm going to bump it to tomorrow.

Chest & Back plus 3.5 Mile Run

Hello! thanks for stopping by. Today was the start of week 3 for my combined P90X plus half marathin training. So far, in the past two weeks, I've dropped 10 pounds, and I'm always hungry. I forgot how good it feels to be this active!

Today was a scheduled chest and back workout. I brought it pretty well- especially consideringi had already run and I got little sleep last night as my wife was not feeling well. I was especially pleased with my performance on ab ripper. I actually made it through all the reps on all the exercises for the first time this round. A small accomplishment- but a tough one (which you know all too well if you've ever done P90X).

Today's run schedule called for a 3.5 mile run. I went out over lunch to knock out my run because they were calling for more snow in the late afternoon and tonight. so, I wanted to get the miles in while I could. I ran a similiar route to what I did on Saturday's 4 mile run, just cut a few things short to keep it to 3.5 miles. I was pretty pleased with my time, as I was just about the same, maybe even a little faster then my 4 miles pace from Saturday. Regardless, I'm making slow but steady progress in a lot of areas.

Schedule tomorrow calls for a plyo day for the "X" and the run schedule is 2 mile run or cross train. Depending on the weather, I may do the plyo or I may do both. We'll have to see. On Wednesday I'll be at a salesmeeting/training all day. In fact, I'm staying at a hotel Tuesday night so I don't have to get up and drive Wednesday. So, I'm going to get up early at the hotel and try and get my 3.5 miles on Wednesday done on their hotel treadmill. It will be my first time on a treadmill, ?so I'll see what it's like. The good news is I'll be able to get my run in regardless of weather that day AND I can run in shorts!

4 Miles

Decided to try and get a run in yesterday, since it's been about a week since my last one. That half marathon isn't going away, so I need to put the miles in. Strapped on all my cold gear, added some layers, grapped the iPod and my Garmin, and hit the road. Schedule called for 4 miles.

It was an interesting run. I couldn't run on the sidewalks because a lot of people never cleared them after our back to back blizzards last week. So, I was stuck running on the snow-narrowed roads. I stayed in my neighborhood and tried to run in as many of the little courts, etc as I could to avoid as many cars as possible.

This was an interesting run because I've never run more then 3 miles at one time. But I cam through it with shining colors! In fact, I ran 4 miles almost as fast in total minutes as I did on my last 3 mile run! I just had a better pace. also, another big difference was that I ran during the day vs at night. At night I tend to run slower because of the visibility issues, etc. I don't want to bust my ass! So on this run I could see everything and was able to run at a better pace.

Taking off today, as it's a scheduled rest day for both P90X and the runningschedule. then back at it tomorrow for a 3.5 mile run. We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow night and tuesday (at least another 6"). So, I want to try and get my run in before it starts if I can.

Shoulders & Arms

Quick post tonight as I have to hit the sack for an early morning. Missed yesterday's workout due to the second blizzard and all the associated shoveling, etc. I honestly was just worn out from the 20" of new snow we got on top of the 30" we already had. It's just nuts!

Did the Shoulders & Arms workout from yesterday this evening. I had trouble "bringing it" tonight. Lots of stuff going on with work, etc made my mind wonder a lot. Did my best and got through it. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more focus. Anyway, gotta get osme sleep. I have an early case in the morning.

Plyometrics...and a Blizzard!

Yep- a blizzard is hitting the Baltimore area for the 2nd time in 5 days. RE-DONK-U-LOUS! Pisses me off as the roads were just startign to get passable today. Now we're going to get 14-20" more and we'll be stuck for another few days. What a waste of time. And I'm going stir-crazy. I left the house today for work, even though almost all the docs offices were closed- just because I had to get out! FREEDOM! I may not last another few days of this!

Anyway, since running is effectively out of the equiation for the time being, I hit up the Plyometrics workout for my one and only workout today. Broke a great sweat. Tony always kicks your ass during this. I still hate Dominic as much as I ever did- probably more right now since I'm not fit. He's a jumping bean that guy!

going to be another snow-filled day tomorrow. They said it will snow all of our daylight hours. So, looks like another P90X workouit alone tomorrow. I cantwait to get back out there and run too!

Chest & Back...and SNOW!

Well....things have been a little crazy since my last post. On saturday, the baltimore area got hit with a massive blizzard. I got 30" here at my house starting Friday afternoon and ending Satursday night. It's crazy! I spent a large portion of Friday night shoveling, yet it made no difference when I came out Saturday. Thank God I have a bad-ass snowblower. Ate that snow right up. I had to rescue some neighbors too. We didn't see a plow until sunday night and the shools have been closed MOnday-Wednesday. Why that long? Well, besides the fact that there are still plenty of secondary roads they haven't been able to plow yet, we're about to get hit with another storm. Yep- in fact, they are forecasting another blizzard. We are deadcenter in it's path and they expect us to get the heaviest accumulations. Current forecasts are 16-20" of snow starting Tuesday night and going through Wednesday. I have no idea where they are going to put all this snow. Two blizzards in one WEEK???? Unbelievable!

So, my workout schedule got a little screwed up this weekend. After doing so much shoveling and snowblowing Friday and Saturday, I was too tired to workout Saturday. Trust me- I got a workout in! Plus, with so many of the sidewalks covered in 2.5' of snow, running is pretty tough. I did get my chest and back and ab ripper in today. And I'm looking forward to Plyometrics tomorrow. Not sure how/when I'm going to make up the running for my half marathin trainiing- but I'll figure it out. I'm just going to have to work my ass off in the plyo tomorrow to make sure the cardio is effective.

Legs & Back

Well, here's the understatement of the year- it's snowing! I mean SNOWING! We get snow in Baltimore, but I've never seen a winter this bad. This strom is a monster of a Noreaster, and it will be the 2nd blizzard (yes blizzard- heavy snow with 30+mph wind) of the season. I've already shoveled once and am getting ready to do it again before bed. I'm trying to make a small dent in what I anticipate will be a major dig out tomorrow. They say the heaviest snow is getting ready to start right now and will last all night and into tomorrow with snow falling at 1-2" PRE HOUR! This sucks.

Anyway, the running workout today called for a 30 minute cross training. So I just decided to do the full Legs & Back workout for P90X (since it's that day for P90X). Got a good workout in. I didn't push it with the leg stuff. I didn't use any weights for those moves. I don't want to burn my legs out knowing I'll be logging a lot of miles over the next 80+ days. Ab Ripper continues to kick my ass. On a positive note, I stepped on the scale this mornignand am down 5lbs since last week. So- 1 week of P90X and half marathon training equals a 5lb loss. Not too shabby. I don't expect to keep that pace up. but I'll take it for now!

Off to go shovel again. Then I'll be playing with my snowblower all day tomorrow!

Rest Day?

OK- so running wise this day was a scheduled rest day. P90X wise this day was Yoga. I scrapped the Yoga and played indoor soccer for an hour instead. A lot more fun in my opinion.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a 30 minute cross train. Saturday is supposed to be 4 miles. I'm not sure what I'm going to do because of the impending blizzard. My plan is this(I think):

Friday- Legs & Back and Ab Ripper (P90X)
Saturday- Kenpo X (P90X)
Sunday- 4 mile run plus chest and back (P90X)

Sunday is a "stretch and strengthen" day on the running schedule. so I think I will push the run to then since the snow will be over and the roads shouldbe plowed by then.

Shoulders & Arms and a 3 Mile Run

Today was shoulders and arms (plus ab ripper) for my P90X workout. I have always liked this workout. You get to pump up your guns a bit. It's just fun- plus no pull ups which is always a good thing! After a very long day filled with lots of travel all over Maryland, I got home and pudhed play on this workout. For as drained as I was from my day, and how sore I still am from the start of the week, I felt like I got a pretty good workout.

After putting the kids to bed and watching American Idol (don't judge me) with my wife, it was time for my run. Today the schedule said 3 miles. so, I layerd up, grabbed the iPod and hit the pavement. We had about 4 inches of snow overnight, and I discovered my newest running pet peeve this evening- peope who don't clear their damn sidewalks!

Seriously- what is the deal with this? night runs are dangerous enough without having to run over ice and snow that someone was too lazy to get off their ass and clear. Just wait until I slip and fall- I'm going to own that person's home!

I might as well get used to this kind of running. We are ALREADY under a winter storm watch for a doozy of a storm that is supposed to hit us in two days. Yes- they think this storm is going to be so bad, they put a watch out two days ahead of time. Right before Christmas, we got ht with a blizzard that dumped about 2 feet of snow on us. They are saying this storm is goingto be just as bad. Initial forecasts are calling for 14-22" or more with the heaviest concentrations being right where we live. FANTASTIC! So, I may have to juggle my training schedule around this weekend until the roads are clear, etc. At leastI can still do P90X!

2 Mile Run

Today was a scheduled 2 mile run or cross train. It was also a plyo day on P90X. In an effort to save my legs, I decided (this week anyway), to do one or the other.

I got home from work, looked outside and it looked ok. It looked cold- but ok. they were calling for a winter storm to hit us sometime this evening, that would bring us 3-6" of snow. I strapped on my cold gear and my iPod, and walked out the front door. As I stood there waiting for my garmin to locate satellites, the snow started to fall. So, I took off to try and get my run in before the streets and sidewalks got too slippery.

It was kind of fun/cool to run in the snow. As I ran, the snow kept gaining intensity. By the last half mile, snow was really getting in my eyes, nose, and mouth- so it was good I only had to do 2 miles. But it made for a really cool experience, and I must say I rather enjoyed it. I actually ran 2.24 miles to be exact! ; )

Tomorrow is a scheduled 3 mile run. Plus I have a strength workout for P90X. Hopefully, the streets and sidewalks will be clear enough to run safely. If not, it will be a very slow run for me!

Chest and Back plus 3 Mile Run

Well, my insane training just kicked off today. I had taken a few days off to recharge my body after the initial shock of starting running and worn off. But today, my insane marriage of half marathon training plus P90X was consumated!

After work, I came home and decided to "push play". So I popped in tony Horton's chest and Back workout. Boy, it kicked my ass. It's been a while. I am weaker then I was before- dramatically. But I did my best and got through everything.

After that it was Ab ripper X time! God- what a bear. Kicked my ass and pounded me into submission. my old nemesis the Pfifer Scissors and the Mason Twists really did a number on me. I was reduced to a fat, sweaty tub of lard on a yoga mat by the end.

Pounded a recovery drink and then had some dinner. I watched House (excellent show FYI) and then decided it was time for my run. the schedule called for 3 miles. I was a little nervous because I haven't really run much past 2.5. but I did fine- slow but fine. I took it really easy. It was very dark tonight (lots of clouds) so visibility was an issue. Plus we still have snow and ice on the ground, so I wanted to make sure I didn't bust my ass! I set off with one of my iPods and hit the street. I got into one of those "trances" while running tonight. My mind got lost in the music and in my thoughts. next thing I knew- it was 3 miles! I think I could have run 5. I pounded another recovery drink and called it a nihgt. Not a bad first day! Plus- I ate clean today too, so it was a positive first step.