Never-ending Quest to be Leaner, Stronger and Faster.

[GG300]

Now that my half Training has been completed and I have had a week off to enjoy some of my unhealthier passions in life it is time to set some new goals as well as focusing on my nutrition to meet my weight loss goals for the year.

I need to lower my 5K time below 30 minutes before my 48th Birthday. To reach this goal I will be doing speed training 2 days per week and a longer run consisting of 6,7 or 8 miles on the weekend. I will also be adding some lower body lifting back into my full body days.

I will have a maintained body weight of 190 or lower by Christmas. I will be hitting the weight situation 3 seperate ways. 1st I will be going back to the basics on my eating. 1800 to 2000 calories split into 5 meals per day. 1 cheat meal or 6 or 7 alcoholic beverages once per week. 2nd I will be dilligent about my lifting sessions. Doing 2 full body circuit days and 1 heavy lifting day with my trainer each week. 3rd the speed training should be more effective than the slow cardio I have been doing recently in the reduction of body fat.

Time to push in the bar stool and get back to work.

[GG300]

Sunday May 20 3:00 PM 49 degrees and windy.

Untimed 3.28 mile run.

[GG300]

Monday May 21 5:30 AM Scheduled Circuit Training Session. Workout completed in standard circuit style. No rest taken untill the workout is completed except for moving from exercise to exercise.

6 Minute treadmill alternating 1 minute running - 1 minute walking.

10 DB Ball Squats with 25#
10 DB Pushups
10 DB Ball Squats with 25#
10 DB Pushups

5 Minutes on eliptical avgering 6.5 MPH at 8 Intensity

10 Close Grip Low Cable Rows with 125#
10 Wide Grip Lat Pulls with 125#
10 Close Grip Low Cable Rows with 125#
10 Wide Grip Lat Pulls with 125#

5 Minute treadmill alternating 1 minute walking - 1 minute running

10 Standing DB Curls Alternating with 35#
10 Reverse Crunches
10 Standing DB Curls Alternating with 35#
10 Reverse Crunches

5 Minute treadmill alternating 1 minute walking - 1 minute running

12 Tri Cable Push Downs with 120#
20 Incline Crunches Alternating Twist
12 Tri Cable Push Downs with 120#
10 Incline Crunches no twist

5 minute Cool Down Walk on Treadmill.

This work out took a toll after taking most of last week off. The incline ab work was the worst.

[UpNorth]

That's one tough workout today!

It looks like you and I are on the same training schedule with the speed work, long runs and lifting schedule. If you didn't see my 5k training post in the running section about six weeks back check it out. Jim, Dave, Kevin and Kmwest gave a ton of great ideas for speed workouts. Those ideas have helped me tremendously.

Good luck with your 5k goal

[GG300]

Thanks for the tip Jeff, I checked it out and I think there is alot of items I should be able to try. Right now my emphasis will be using the speed training more for my fat loss goal and secondary for the actual increase in speed. My 5K's and other assorted shorter races start the first weekend in June so hopefully I will start seeing some improvements on both fronts by then.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Great goals, Gregg. They're kind of similar to what I want to do after my marathon. That is, get faster and keep the weight down. Best of luck in reaching them, though we'll have to do a cheat meal/drink thing when I get out there again.

I've read from some reliable guys over at the RT and RW forums that if you do a 5k a couple two three weeks after a marathon (or half in your case) you'd be pleasantly surprised by the results. Might be an idea. I've got a 5k planned 3 weeks after and I'm looking at a 10k the week after that.

[GG300]

Tuesday May 22 4:45 AM 56 degrees with a light breeze. Scheduled 3 miles. What a beautiful morning the temperature was great, the smell of fresh lilacs and morning dew in the air. The kind of morning that you are just happy too be outside, then the speed work started. After a .25 mile warmup I started doing intervals at about 70% followed by recovery jogging. I was able to keep this up for the first mile. Then I switched to running intervals at 80% followed by recovery walking similar to the first time I did this workout. Just after 2 miles the unmistakeable smell of freshly killed skunk permiated the air. This posed yet another reason to want to run faster. I finished 3.28 miles in 39:55. Slightly slower than Fridays effort which may have been due to the slower pace I used in the first mile of the workout.

[GG300]

I've read from some reliable guys over at the RT and RW forums that if you do a 5k a couple two three weeks after a marathon (or half in your case) you'd be pleasantly surprised by the results.

My plan was to run a 5K every other week this summer so yesterday I signed up for The Susan Komen 5K in Madison June 2 so hopefully the spped work and the marathon training will pay off.

[GG300]

Wednesday May 23 5:20 AM Scheduled Lifting Session with my Trainer. I started out with a 7 minute warm up on the eliptical then 20 reps with just the bar on the bench to get my shoulders moving and then to the real lifting.

Straight Sets with 90 seconds rest

BB Bench Press 20@135# 5@185# 5@185# 4@195# 4@205#

Stick Point BB Benches 5@175# 5@175# 4@185#

Standing BB Military Press 12@75# 12@75# 12@75#*

Laying DB Pullovers 12@50# 12@55# 12@55#

Fremotion Incline Overhead Curls 12@40# 12@50# 12@50#

Close Grip BB Bench 12@115# 10@115# 10@115#

*Trainer assist on the last 4 reps of the last set and the last rep of the second set.

Man did I feel like a ten year old girl out there today. I expected some drop as I had not lifted with my trainer for the last 5 weeks but not this much. My bench work, militarys and close grips were all way off. I guess I need to get my ass in gear and lose the fat I want so I can dump the circuits and add more heavy lifting days back into the schedule.

[GG300]

Thursday May 24 4:50 AM 69 degrees, calm and humid. Scheduled 3 mile Modified Fartleks. Very nice temp and morning for a run. It is finally getting lighter early so that helps to get me out there and moving. Started out with a .38 mile warm up and then went into the Fartleks of running 2 blocks and walking 1. Final distance of 3.24 miles in 38:45. Slightly faster than previous runs. 1 more week of these workouts and then the runs get increased while the walks stay the same.

[GG300]

Summer Race Schedule

June 2 Madison Komen Race for the Cure 5K
June 10 Riverwest Beer Run 1.8 Miles (The Run that got me Started)
June 24 Beer Belly Two 2 Miles (2 Beer runs in a row, Gotta Love it)
July 1 Kenosha Firecracker 5K
July 17 Storm the Bastille 5K
July 21 Miller Park Sausage Run 5K
August 11 Hank Aaron State Trail 5K

More to come.

[GG300]

Friday May 25 5:00 AM Scheduled Circuit Training. I decided to go with all treadmill cardio today using 6 minute interval (1 minute walk/1 minute run) workouts between sets. The only rest was travel and set up time.

1st Cardio Interval .45 miles

Incline DB bench 12@50# DB Squats 12@50# Incline DB bench 12@50# DB Squats 12@50#

2nd Cardio Interval .45 miles

Bent BB Rows 12@95# Rope Ext 12@110# Bent BB Rows 12@95# Rope Ext 12@110#

3rd Cardio Interval .45 miles

WG Lat Pulls 12@125# DB Curls 10@35# WG Lat Pulls 12@117.5# Curls 5@35/5@30#

4th Cardio Interval .45 miles

Woodchoppers Left 20@50# Right 20@50# Woodchoppers Left 20@50# Right 20@50#

5th Cardio Interval .45 miles followed by a 3 Minute Cool Down

Ran a little low on strength when it came to the second set of curls and lat pulls so I dropped the weight to get the sets in. I will be bumping the weight to 115 on the rows but I didn't reaslize that I had gone that light until I was into the set and I wanted to keep the rythm up so I stuck with the lower weight.I felt really good after a shower and some coffee.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

That workout looks puke-a-riffic. Nice.

That's a lot of racing! I just may be in town for the June 24 Beer Belly Two 2 Miles Beer Run. It's between the spring and summer sessions of school. Hmmm...

[GG300]

The Beer Belly Two is in Sumaico near Green Bay unfortunately but if you wanted to meet up for a run Pewaukee has a Run on Wednesday the 27th at 7 PM with live music and you guessed it Beer afterwards. It is supoosed to be a beautiful yet hilly run around the lake.

It workouts seem hard now but in another week it will start to get easier than I get to add more lifting. It is sort of different this time around for me as now the cardio is the break and the lifting is what hurts. When I have done these previously it was the other way around.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Darn. I've got to be back home Monday the 25th.

eta: I get out of class for a three week break August 7th. I'll have my daughter then and we plan to be there for a week or two. mid-august.

[GG300]

First week weigh in since the new focus - - - Down 4.6 pounds. The first week is always the easy one now I really have to work for it. 25.4 to go.

[GG300]

Tuesday May 29 5:00 AM Schedule 3 mile run. Great morning sun coming up 59 degrees and no breeze. I had not gotten a run in all weekend as I was busy getting in yardwork at My Mom's place as well as a couple of rounds of golf. So I really needed to get something going this morning. I ran a .25 mile warm up and then into run/walks at the same 2 to 1 ratio I have used for the last several runs. Just after the 1.2 mile mark I realized that I had lost my house key that was in my shorts pocket. I decided to turn around and retrace my steps in a slow jog. At this time of the morning on a paved run I was sure I would find it. I had almost made it back home and still know sign of the key. The last time I checked my pocket I noticed a small hole that the key must have worked through. Just as a mild stage of panic was setting in I noticed something hitting the back of my leg. Upon further checking I found that the key had worked its way through the pocket only to lodge itself in the lining of the leg of my shorts. After thanking the good lord for his assistance I ran another few blocks and called it a day. 2.36 miles in 26:35. Note too self wear the key around your neck.