Recently in Fitness Category

Yes, the title of this post is abhorrent, but I still think it fits.  I don't really have much to say so I am just letting random junk flow out of my brain.  Now do you get the title?

I have not been to the gym for about a month.  September is traditionally hectic for me and this year was no exception.  I think I started off the month with an injury.  After my last successful, record breaking run I was not able to walk very well.  It was almost as if I bruised my feet.  It was literally hard to walk much less run.  I tried to keep up with my strength training but the treadmill was out of the question.  I got busy doing something, I can't even remember what, and stopped going entirely.  I think I missed somewhere between 3-4 weeks. 

The week of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival came and I got horribly sick.  What started as a runny nose on a Saturday became bed rest by Tuesday.  I realized by about 3:00 that day that things were not getting better and I hauled myself down to the clinic.  I was told that they could not exactly identify what I had and I could get some shots of I wanted.  I said yes, took the liquid fire in the ass shots they offered and headed home to sleep it off.  By the next morning I was well enough to go to work to prepare for the hellish weekend that was ahead of me.  That was September 23rd.  I am still trying to get over whatever infection I had.

Without going into too much detail, Sidewalk went quite well and I was pleased with the work I accomplished.  I was fighting being sick the whole time and I am still not fully rested but overall I think it was an excellent show.  I had a really amazing group of volunteers working with me over the weekend and much of the credit for our success should go to them.

There's no rest for the weary and the next week brought more events.  Wednesday and Friday night poker was fun although I made the worst mistake yet in my brief poker career on Friday.  I shoved all of my chips into a three handed pot with what I thought was a king high straight.  After the river I was preparing to rake the chips when someone, let's call him "The Ref" as he keeps the game going by the book, asked the question "Where's the straight?"  Turns out I only had a 4-card straight and was missing the Jack.  Oooopppsss.  FAIL!  My night was done just like that.  What was so sad is that I was in a position to win.  I absolutely failed to pay attention to what I was doing and it cost me.  Instead of going home +$50 I left -$10.00.  Pathetic.

Saturday brought a birthday party for Emily.  It was a small affair and over quickly.  I, over course, had stayed up too late the previous night and found myself falling asleep at lunch with friends.  Inexcusable but also unavoidable.  The rest of Saturday was a bust with me completely crashing out for most of the afternoon.  Sunday was not much better.

To round out the last few weeks I signed Emily up for basketball yesterday.  She seems excited and I would love to see her play the game I never really got to play as a kid.  I think I played organized basketball once.  Not sure why I never played again.  I tried out for the team in HS but failed (short, fat, and slow generally does not a good baller make) and have been stuck with pickup games and HORSE ever since.  Nothing like living your dreams through your kids right?

So, if you read this far I commend you although I have to question your motivation considering the banality of what I have written.  Slow day for ya eh?   

I have been watching Olympic coverage every night since the opening.  Watching these athletes do amazing things have made me feel just a bit inadequate as a human being.  It has, however, motivated me to keep up with my workout routine and I am starting to see some, if minor, results.  The shoulder I messed up back in '98 is starting to feel much better and I can rotate it straight up which is something I could not do before.  It still hurts when I sleep on it but not as much and not every night.  I have also increased my total pounds lifted per workout by about 6,000 pounds.  Now, I know that does not correlate to anything including muscle development but I am still happy about the progress.  I think the rate of increase should level off now that I have found a level that is challenging my muscles.  It just took me a while to figure out what the best weight per exercise and per set should be.  I certainly feel a difference in my upper body even if it is not showing yet.

The bigger accomplishment (for me at least) came last night when I beat my all-time 30 minute treadmill record.  I won't discuss what it is, but I beat it my an extra 6/100ths of a mile.  Not much I know but I haven't been able to get within 1/10th of a mile of my previous best in a month.  I had a really strong 15 minutes and then pushed myself harder in the last 15, especially the last ten.  I hit a maximum speed of 8 mph during the run.  It's funny that I was able to make that mark last night considering I really considered skipping the run after my strength workout.  I ended up in the cardio room though figuring I could at least do a leisurely 30 minutes to keep my schedule consistent.  Once I got on the treadmill though I was feeling good and decided to give a record run a shot.  I realized by around minute 20 that I was on pace to beat my record which motivated me to push it just a bit harder than normal.  It was good but I am still having trouble.  My legs, especially my right achillies tendon, are still giving me problems.  To much pounding I guess.  Gotta stretch more.  The amazing thing though is that my lungs are not fighting me.  Breathing has been my downfall all of my life but this time things are improving with each run.  If the slow but steady improvement continues and I can lick the leg pain problem then I can honestly see hitting my goal of a 3 mile, 30 minute run by the end of the year.

There is a 5K run in October.  I am considering entering, but I am not ready yet.  It would give me something to shoot for, but I am nervous.  Running has NEVER been my thing.  After last night's success, however, I am more confident I can do it.  Maybe by the end of August things will be clearer.  Baring any injuries I might even get back on the soccer field.  Now that really would be fun.  

The last, big life challenge I set for myself revolved around getting a second degree. It took me a little longer than I expected and the long term value of the achievement is still in question, but I have been really pleased that I was able to meet a personal goal that I set for myself. Now that the whole academic thing is over, it is time to turn my attention to the big elephant in the room, my health.

I have a goal weight of 190 lbs. While this may not exactly be considered trim, I have not personally seen that side of 200 since maybe high school so it would be a major accomplishment for me. I need to drop somwhere under 100 lbs. to get to that goal so I think it is doable with a better diet and exercise. The exercise part is what I am working on now. Just getting under 200 would make a difference in my life that I can't even begin to comprehend. Anything after that would be a bonus.

In order to facilitate reaching that goal, I took the plunge and joined the local YMCA. Yes, I know the irony (am I using that word right?) in this situation. It was not exactly an easy choice to make given my lack of faith in the supernatural, but I looked at my options and this was the best solution to multiple problems. As a family we get access to a pool and discounted children's activities and as individuals my wife and I have access to all of the fitness equipment and programs all at an affordable price. I had to compromise my principles just a little bit, but it is not like I joined the Nazi Family Gym. Things have really worked out and I the cost/benefit ratio has been adequate.

Since I began using the facilities I have been able to increase my endurance twofold. My first night I could hardly jog at 4mph for a minute without stopping. Last night I had an average pace of 4.4 mph for 30 minutes. Again, nothing to brag about when compared to people who are already in shape, but for me it is a great improvement. Never in my life, even when I was an "athlete" have I been able to run a full mile but today a 10 minute mile or better seems possible. For someone who has struggled with breathing problems all his life such a run would be cause for celebration.

This lifestyle change has not come without a downside. My legs are taking the brunt of the weight right now and I can't seem to overcome the painful soreness that comes after a run. Today it is my Achilles tendon that is screaming in anguish. Last night I tried some faster section in my run topping out at about 7.5 mph in some parts. I think that was pushing it a little too much and I overextended the tendon. The good news is that I seem to be recovering quicker the more I run. Hopefully in another week or so my body will adjust and I won't have so much pain each morning. Dropping weight should help this problem as well. Let's just hope it doesn't take 4 years like the last big challenge I took on.