OK, so it's been a while since I've logged or exercised consistently, for that matter. A little background for those who don't know: my fitness level improved throughout my time in college, and I ran a half marathon PR of 1:23 in May 2006, a few weeks before I graduated. I started active duty as a Marine Corps officer about a month after graduation day, and my fitness level has been slipping ever since. The worst blow came over the last 7 months, as I was deployed to Iraq and routinely working 14-17 hour days, 7 days a week. When I had a little spare time, sleeping or talking with my family took priority over workouts. I probably had less than 20 workouts of any kind over 7 months.... not good.
Right now my areas that need improved are:
1) weight / body comp. I can still (sorta) see my abs. When the light's suitable. And I pull my gut down and pull my shoulders back. So improving body comp is very important. In the past, if I've had good nutritional habits and solid workouts the appearance part comes pretty smoothly. I'm at about 165-170 now at 5'10" (in my running prime I was about 150).
2) speed and endurance. Not running for 7 months hasn't helped, neither has my weight. There are a few half-marathons in January through March in southern California, so I think I'll aim for one of them as a goal race.
3) strength. I don't like being the guy struggling to bench 55-pound dumbbells or do more than 13 pullups.
4) size. Not as big of a priority, but I wouldn't mind a bit more.
So I guess everything needs improvement.
Here's today's workout.
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4.56mi run
38:14 (8:23/mi avg)
This wasn't easy, which shows you how much I've slid. This was a nighttime run on the streets of Coronado Island here in San Diego. The lights of the city and the Coronado Bridge stood out against the silhouettes of the palm trees. Just as my Forerunner buzzed at the 2.5mi mark (my turnaround), fireworks went off in the harbor (in conjunction with the symphony concerts). The whole city celebrated me hitting the turnaround point
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
__________________ 'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ' ~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,
smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Ralph! You'll get your fitness back quickly, I'm sure.
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“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Dunno the distance, but I rode about the same course as a 19.75mi loop shown on mapmyrun.com, so I'm guessing it's in the 20-25mi range. It was my first ride since I got back, and I got some necessary practice in clipping and unclipping at stoplights.
I'm staying in the on-base hotel at the Coronado Navy Base. Across the street I see the ocean and, more importantly, the Navy SEAL obstacle course. I saw some dudes flipping telephone poles end-over-end this morning. I might have to go over there and do some impromptu Crossfitting.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
Did a little workout in the SEAL obstacle course area. The logs were about the diameter of telephone poles and 10 feet long. I'd get into a sumo stance, then essentially power clean the pole to chest height then walk my hands up it until I could push it over. This was all done in sand so I'm guessing the tire drags were a little harder than if they were on grass.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
LD: It felt like it was around a 95-105 lb clean off the sand. So probably around 200. I'll say this, my heart was racing after 5, and that was with around 10 second breaks after each flip.
Newman: Thanks.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
Ralph, you're definitely in the right place for getting back into the swing of things with running, biking, etc. Just beware of the mountain lions if you go trail running in the mountains! :p
I'll be watching you for inspiration about regaining long distance running speed!
Back Extensions (60sec rest)
+25 3x8
Dizzier and woozier than usual after these.
Knee-Ups (60sec rest)
1x 11,12,12
I go back to Indiana tomorrow for two weeks. Then I get back on the 26th, and two weeks later I go to Yuma, Arizona for two months. It'll be like Iraq, but with shorter hours, my own air-conditioned room, the ability to go out in town, and my bike!
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
I agree with everyone else. With assets at your disposal such as that SEAL training area, you with be ripping off 20 rep sets of weighted pullups and 6:00 tempo runs in no time.
Have a nice time at home- and Yuma!
__________________
“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Ralph, hit up that Mexican restaurant for me while you're at home. Make sure you get extra hot suace! (Bring some soap, though!)
__________________
“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Coronado, CA
13.95mi
49:45 (16.8mph avg, max 20.5mph)
A nice, flat ride down essentially the same path as last time (but shorter). Wind wasn't nearly as much of a factor on the return trip than it was last time. I did it from about 6:30-7:30am, so it was nice and cool (low 60s) with clouds. This'll be my last ride for two weeks until I get back from Indiana. In fact, I'm at the San Diego airport right now.
After I left the on-base hotel, I stopped at a diner on Coronado for breakfast. I sat next to a old guy who looked like he was a stoned out hippie who said he owned a window cleaning business and extolled the virtues of the hotness of women in San Diego. I agreed.
Then I came out and discovered the police had given my a $18 ticket for not feeding the parking meter. Bastards! If I wasn't a law-abiding citizen I'd be tempted to not pay it, as I doubt htey'd even bother trying to get points on my Indiana license.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
Dammit! I guess I'll be cutting them that check after all.
On the plus side of karma, I volunteered to get bumped from my flight. There are no direct flights on any airline between San Diego and Indianapolis, so my original itinerary was San Diego --> Chicago --> Indy. They bumped me off the Chicago flight, so I instead went to Washington DC (where I am now) and will fly from here to Indy and arrive at about the same time I would've otherwise. Plus, free routrip voucher! I understand how these airlines keep losing money.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
This might count as my shittiest 5k evar. I kept having to stop because I was just beat the hell down. It didn't help that it was right after a thunderstorm and very humid. So I followed it up with some dumbbell swings, then a half-mile barefoot run around the neighborhood. I stayed on the sidewalks so it wasn't bad, but having to cross streets on the blacktop sucked.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
Don't worry, your 5K times will improve dramatically in the pleasant temperatures of Yuma. Actually, it probably will be a nice place to run during the Fall. Dry air beats humid every time.
And you think I have 2:50 in me??? Your times after taking 6 months off are comparable to mine after training for 6 months!
__________________
“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, 'Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapeños.'"
Yeah, but I had my dad calling from the screened-in porch asking if I wanted water. That was a morale boost that helped the times. :-P
Try it without the cooldown lap! Believe me, you'll see the difference in the speed, and part of running faster for longer distances is knowing what it feels like to run it at shorter distances. My $0.02.
__________________
"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
"My baby's soft and sweet, somewhere between a flower and a gun" - fiction family
(Stopping) The Slow Slide
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