Reposting from a friend who found this jewel. This is just priceless! I’ve been on both sides of this perspective.. and let me tell you that a kind word, smile, fist bump or thumbs up can make all the difference in the world. I definitely don’t pass up the opportunity to offer them up whenever I can!
I was never a candidate for piriformis surgery.. in so much as my sciatic nerve wasn’t aggravated by the piriformis. I still deal with chronic pain when sitting on hard/uncomfortable surfaces for much longer than 20 minutes, but my issue seems to be the saccro-coccygeal joint (where the sacrum and the coccyx join).
It’s that time of year, again, to reflect on the past and set into motion plans for the future.. I don’t like to spend too much time doing either, because I don’t want to miss out on what is going on right now! We’ll save that philosophy for another post.
2012 was another year of ratcheting up my fitness and reinventing myself, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the progress.
I got back on the treadmill this morning, after giving my legs a little break after IMAZ. It felt good to work up a sweat and get my heart beating. About midway through my 5k, I saw a dude mount a mill to my left. This guy was me a few years back.. I imagine he’s pushing 280-300. He set his pace and started to run.. I noticed out of my peripheral vision that he ran with a mid-foot strike and relaxed posture and by the time he was done he had ran for a full 30 minutes before stopping. I had, and took, the opportunity to offer a “way to kill that run, dude” at the paper towel dispenser afterwards and he smiled with a thanks. I hope to run across him again at the gym!
Sick people suck. I’m not sure where I got this from, but it seriously hammered me yesterday morning. Standing at the Subway counter getting some breakfast sandwiches, I all of the sudden felt nauseous and a little dizzy..
I spent most of the day sweating, rolling uncomfortably on the couch, and body feeling like it was hit by a truck. Saltines and Diet 7Up was the basic diet yesterday.. I did manage some oranges and Emergen-C later in the evening though..
My body is still feeling wrecked but at least I’m not dizzy or feeling like I could puke.. what the heck was that all about. ugh.
I am an Ironman. On 11/18 I spent 13:26:52 swimming, biking, and running in circles in Tempe, AZ!
.. ya, so I was reflecting on my Ironman training “schedule” when it occurred to me that its really become more of a guide than anything. A couple weeks back I went retardedly overboard into beast-mode in a weight lifting sesh, followed that by a run, and spent the following 3 days feeling like my legs took on a massive attack.
One thing led to another and I calf cramped..
At first my glute and hamstring (right side, if you’re wondering) were fairly beaten up.. got that sorted out after a few days. And now I’ve got an achilles that was over-cooked (again, right side) that is jjuuussssttt about sorted out as well.
So back to my epiphany.. I had this overly detailed schedule that had some 15 to 20 mile runs mixed in with bikes and swims. I’ve done well with hitting my bike goals having done two 100 milers and feeling confident on how to pace them. I’ve swum (swam, swimmed, swi219421ed?) 2.4 miles a couple times, done some open water (most recently in damn cold water) and generally stick to 1.2 mile swims a couple times a week.
The running.. not as much as I would have liked.
Ironman Arizona is, what, 24 days away.. there is no time for me to build up to a 20 mile run. I’ll be lucky to build up to 10 or maybe a 13.1.. but you know what, none of that really matters.
What matters is that I respect my body and give it what it needs to heal, so if that means I don’t get to run a whole bunch or need to take a few extra recovery days every so often. So be it. I feel like I’m mentally and physically dialed for Ironman.. I love to run and I’m not afraid of “going there” when I need to.. so I’ll save that for 11/18.
Forty days until Ironman Arizona! For the past two weeks I’ve been training through a sore calf, hamstring, and glute.. I’ve taken some extra rest days and cut back the intensity of my training to allow for recovery. I had my final 100 mile bike yesterday and felt like I was 100% throughout.. I woke up this morning and swam 2000 yards with no issues feeling great. I’m going to ease back into the running this week and see if I can’t build up to a solid effort 10 - 15 mile run over the next three weeks while maintaining my bike and swim fitness. It just seems unreal that IMAZ is so close.. it’s gonna be fun!
Help me raise money for the awareness and research of diabetes! My wife and I are walking 6 miles in support of this fund raiser and every dollar you have to spare to this cause is a great help!
Back in February I started to get serious about building up my triathlon fitness. I had a couple sprint’s and a half-iron distance sprinkled in between some half marathons and a couple full marathons (in which I PR’d a 3:58). The schedule, as I saw it, was just about the right mix and intensity to keep me interested and driving toward the goal of a full Ironman in November.
Building a base of fitness on the bicycle and in the pool has been somewhat challenging for me. I love to run, and I’d almost always rather just go pound out miles in the forest, on the pavement, around a track, or on the treadmill. I’ve slowly become more comfortable on the bike and in the pool, and I’m starting to really enjoy these two sports for the variety and challenge they pose.
Base building is necessary to build up both the body and mind for when the intensity is on the rise. On the other hand, more often than not I was left wondering, “what more can I get out myself if I was to push a little harder or a little further”. I have to reel myself in at times.. I do not want to find myself on the sideline with an injury because I’ve went too far over that imaginary line.
..and now comes the time when I’m sharpening the spear. For the past month I’ve been mixing in intervals, longer tempo runs, or just pushing my heart rate higher. I’ve got 68 days until Ironman Arizona, when I get to put myself to the test. I’m fully confident I can finish 140.6 miles of triathlon, but I’m also interested in exploring my own mental and physical limits in the process.
As I sit here taking a rest day, I’m reminding myself that recovery and tending to the aches and pains are every bit as important as intervals… and so I can continue to sharpen the spear. :)
So, what did I learn? You can train but you will still be shocked! Why? Well, thats easy. If you are the normal runner you always want to go faster. That catches up to you in the last 3-4 miles. I TRIED to keep a steady slow pace for the first 8-9 miles but failed.
BUT! I kept plugging away and…
Fun times in AZ!
I’ve recently been re-inspired to post something about healthy weight loss.. and how it relates to mental wellness. I’m going to be brief, and I hope you might consider reblogging with your own thoughts!
I believe that a majority of the problems with obesity start in the cavity directly between your ears. The brain is a tricky thing, and has been tuned over many thousands of years of evolution to be the most complex and powerful part of the body. Sometimes you need to ignore it to reach your goals. Regarding weight loss, with a bit of practice you might find that you can get better control with a fairly simple hack.
Every single time you start to put something in your mouth, food or drink, take a few moments to ask yourself;
- Is my stomach grumbling?
- Am I stressed out?
- Do I feel sluggish, maybe its been too long since I’ve last eaten?
- Is there a more healthy alternative?
Be honest with the answers to these questions, and then eat or drink what you were about to. I think that over time you will answer these questions before you have a food or drink in your hand, and the answers to these questions will guide you to making healthier decisions.
Quite possibly the most comprehensive list on how to fix any aspect of your life you choose. Forget new years resolutions, just read this list every other day.
Been a little while since I added anything to my blog here.. It’s the time of the year when, historically, I would be overeating and drinking and then waking up the following morning and feeling bad for it.. only to do the same thing a couple days later. Thank god that cycle has been stopped, for good. Wendie and I were reflecting on just this in the car yesterday.. We enjoyed an impromptu party at the neighbors house on Saturday night wherein plenty of sugar and alcohol was consumed. Sunday morning, instead of giving it an iota of self loathing we killed our workout session. Wen started with about 40 minutes on the stair EFX machine while our good friend Kari, and I ran a 5k. Kari had decided that she wanted to set a new PR on the 5k distance as a birthday present to herself, and asked me to join.. and so I did.. and she shaved over 4 minutes from her previous 5k time with a new 27:32 (sub-9/mi!). After a little cool down, we zoomed back to the gym and joined Wen for an hour of circuit training which left us all grunting and sore on the gym floor! There were far too many exercises to list, it was a lot of fun.
What else, you say? Boot camp.
The past 2 weeks have been a lot of fun with me joining Wen and the “Bikini Bootcamp” group led by Amy Krahn in Corvallis. We meet for an hour and get some absolutely killer workouts.. I didn’t realize how under developed my upper body and core muscles were until I started bootcamp. Sheesh! I’m having a blast with it and already signed up for the 4 days a week bootcamp in January. I’m starting to notice some ab definition peeking out from behind the belly fat/loose skin that still remains.. I feel myself becoming a stronger runner, and I’m pushing myself beyond my limits in a way that I haven’t ever before.
2011 has been a fantastic year for me, building on the success of 2010 and sealing the deal on a re-invention of my self-concept. Its taken a lot of will power and hard work, no doubt, but I’m finding that it can be a whole lot of fun too.. so there is a purpose to the pain, and it feels good making progress. I’m looking forward to 2012, I’ve got plenty of plans set in motion and I can see a whole lot of sweat in my future. :)
May 2012 be a year for you to re-invent and refine an aspect of your life, I’m positive that you won’t regret it. Don’t wait for January 1, get started right now. Happy Holidays!
