Family, family, family

One of the things I'm blessed with in life is a wonderful family.  That goes without saying for my immediate family (my wife and children), and my own parents, brother, and his family.  But I'm blessed with an incredible, wonderful extended family as well.  My in-laws, in particular (both sets), as well as Jess's sisters and their families, make up part of this group.  There's not a person among them whom I don't genuinely enjoy, so at last count that's 4 (3 living) parent in-laws, 7 siblings, 4 sibling in-laws, and 3 nieces and nephews.  I've spent so much time with them over the last 10 years and more that they feel like home to me as much as any group of people.  We were just in Maine for a weekend, and had an incredible time with John and Phyllis, one of Jess's sets of parents (grandparents to our kids!).   I could hide and say I'm really glad just for the kids' sakes but I'm glad for my own sake too.

My own more distant relations - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, were a big part of my life as a young child, but primarily because of geography I haven't seen much of them since.  There was a short period of time when Jess and I lived in Colorado that I was beginning to renew some of those relationships, but we moved away and I have mostly lost touch again.  It strikes me as a loss that I wasn't as close to extended family in my own (later) childhood as I now am.

On a totally different note, I am beginning to get pissed off at myself for failing to get up for morning runs. I've been variably good and not so good at this in the past, but this is a new low.  I've got a busy week at work coming up and I'll give myself a break, but after that I've got to suck it up and run early, especially as the weather is warming up.  As I always try to remind myself, I never regret it when I do it.

Notice in the photo to left my outstanding nutrition plan!

3 days ago: yoga 40 minutes, 13 burpees
2 days ago: run 4 miles / 37:14; PT back exercises, 14 burpees, 10 knees-to-elbows
Yesterday: 15 burpees
Today: PT back exercises, 25 pull ups (15 standard, 10 chinups), 20x3 leg lifts (up on dip-bar apparatus, lift legs to 90 degrees with a hold at the top, each rep of 3 is straight/left/right), 16 burpees

Can't avoid philosophy

I thought I was going to write about my workout today, and avoid philosophy, but I don't think I'll be able to do that.  It was a really fun workout, completed after my final physical therapy session, with a mix and match of core and upper body exercises with a few burpees thrown in.  I am slowly buying into the idea of short intense training, and today was a breakthrough as I abandoned the rule that any run shorter than 4 miles is a waste of time.  I ran for about 14 minutes today (warmup + "tabata" + cooldown).  Tabata is a protocol involving 8 repeats of 20 seconds maximal efforts and 10 seconds rest, introduced to me by my sister-in-law last summer.  It works, at least according to what I've read, and it definitely makes it feel like a workout.  The thing that blows my mind is that it twists specificity of training around on its head.  If I am training to run a fast marathon, shouldn't I be running fast and long distances?  This is in fact what I did 5 years ago or so.  But maybe I'm actually training for dynamic power output and high cardiovascular workload, and a fast marathon will be a side effect.  In any case, it's fun to branch out, and we'll see if it pays off in terms of performance.  It's all a question of goals, and fun is not a bad one.

2 days ago: PT/back exercises, 10 burpees
Yesterday: run 4 m, 11 burpees
Today: PT/back exercises; core (100 twist/leg up situps, 1 minute up-down pushup hold in 10 second intervals; boat pose 3x20 sec; 15 hanging knees-to-elbows, 10 side arm pushups); 20 pullups (10 standard, 10 chinups); tabata treadmill run (~7 min pace at 5% grade) with 5 min warmup and 5 minute cooldown; 12 burpees

Ready for bed

Long day but some great moments in there.  I spent much of the day and evening at work but had a nice time at it; at home I felt full of life and energy as I spent spent time with Jess and the kids.

Physically I feel at a bit of a turning point -- my neck has improved, my last physical therapy visit is this week, and I am feeling ready to (slowly) build back up some of the strength I've lost while sidelined.  Back to running when time permits.  I haven't forgotten about the speed training phase coming up.

Yesterday: PT back exercises, pullups (15), core workout (intense), Burpee War Day 8 (8 burpees)
Today: Yoga 35 minutes, Burpee War Day 9 (9 burpees).

Great evening

Great workout today - I pulled out the old p90x DVDs for a plyometrics workout in the garage, and had an even better post-workout dinner.  It was leftovers night, and I consumed a gourmet feast: chicken risotto, bratwurst, pesto couscous, grean beans, sweet potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, and fruit salad!  Awesome.

The best part was feeding Max while the girls were in bed and Jess was playing soccer.  We both fell asleep, me holding the bottle and he drinking from it.

I forgot to wish my brother a happy birthday on Friday, so Happy Birthday, Brian!

I'm looking forward to a week of speed work, and the continuation of the Burpee contest..

Yesterday: PT back exercises, Burpee War Day 6 (6 burpees)
Today: Plyometrics ~1 hour (lunges, squats, jumps, etc.); Burpee War Day 7 (7 burpees)

Another great evening run!

This one was even better than the last, with purple mountain views in the setting sun, and unbelievably perfect weather.  I turned up the heat early and although I wasn't wearing a watch, this one felt fast...

Yesterday: PT back exercises; Burpee War Day 4 (4 burpees)
Today: ran 4 miles (fast); Burpee War Day 5 (5 burpees)

An evening run

Four o'clock pm has long been my favorite time of day to run.  This extends a few hours in either direction, and although I have enjoyed many a morning, noon, and night run, late afternoon is is when I feel both at my best and that I benefit most from a run.  I haven't been able to run regularly at this time in a while; in fact most of my runs are either early morning or lunch hour runs.  So today, as I got home from work (at about 7:30), I decided to go running.  The sun had just set and the stars came out brilliantly, so I had a view of Orion and a sliver of a crescent moon.  I left the headlamp behind and ran a familiar route, enjoying the feeling of moving through darkness.  It may not have been four, but it sure felt good.

Today: ran 4 miles; Burpee War Day 3 (3 burpees)

Recovery week

58 degrees in the sun and clear blue skies as I drove home from work.  Great running weather, but no run.  I'll go tomorrow morning.  For some reason it feels like a weekend evening even though it's a regular, hectic, week.

Jess and I have started the burpee war with our relatives and friends.  The burpees seem trivial now,  an afterthought to the day, but I wonder how many it will take to supplement and then overwhelm the regular daily workout.  Will we be done at 100?  Any ideas from those experienced in the burpee ways?

Yesterday: Yoga 40 minutes - fairly intense; Burpee war Day 1 (1 burpee)
Today: Core workout & PT back exercises; Burpee war Day 2 (2 burpees)

Good long run and good clean fun.

Yesterday I  had a good long run.  It wasn't great one -- great is reserved for those long runs that are so fun, scenic, tough, and full of positive energy that they drive and fuel themselves and I am just along for the ride.  A good long run takes some work, some motivation, and has ups and downs, but is ultimately a good experience.  Here's what I liked about this run: First, I had a wonderful running partner (thanks, Jackie!) which made it easier to get motivated and more fun.  Second, the run had a classic pattern of effort and fatigue that makes finishing so rewarding: it took a few miles to warm up and get into it;  the first 8-10 miles felt good and, if not effortless, at least easy and pain-free; the last third was quite challenging and required some pushing; and finally in the last 2-3 miles I loosened up, relaxed, and felt like, if needed, I could turn the afterburners on and keep going.  Not exactly hitting and climbing "the wall" but perhaps a miniature wall with a true second wind at the end.  Third, the course and conditions were varied, with some high-traffic roads (for Vermont, that is), some pleasant bike paths, and a little bit of rain and sleet mixed in.  Finally I feel great today, something that I take as a positive training indicator.

This morning was nice, for a different reason.  We took the kids to the YMCA open family gym, and let Cadien and Rowan climb around and play with the ~50 other kids that were there.  We saw some friends, hung out with each other and the baby, and in general had a great time.  There's something wonderful about watching children play in such a free setting, probably a combination of their energy, curiousity, and fun.  Anyway I'm a lucky man to be able to have a morning like yesterday (running) followed by a morning like today (great family time).  Balance does come occasionally!

Yesterday: Ran 18 miles / 2:54 (~9:40 pace)
Today: PT back exercises; yoga/stretching

That's a big burger

I don't write much about nutrition because I try to eat well out of habit rather than thinking too much about it.  In the past I was a fairly obsessive calorie counter and meal planner, but now I am finding it much easier, and just as effective,  to simply stock the house with good food, snack frequently, and forgive the occasional dietary mishap.  Today would clearly be a dietary mishap.  Three meals out (breakfast, dinner, and second dinner), with the "dinner" consisting of a huge burger and fries from Macdonald's.  I only eat there once a year or so, and tonight I remember why.  The food tastes so good it can't be real (yes, I know it's not), and I can literally feel an undigested french fry poking into my stomach lining now, four hours later.

Aside from that, it was not a bad day.  I got in my last gasp of tele skiing in 50 degree sunny weather -- last gasp until who knows when because I'm giving away the torture devices that pass for my tele boots, and because we're moving to Florida soon.  I also took a fun little run in 50 degree sunny weather.  Tomorrow I'll relax and try to prepare, mentally and nutritionally, for my long run on Saturday. (Such preparation is a habit I've fallen out of.)  I'm excited because I have a running partner for this one -- a great topic but one for another time.

Today: telemark ski, run 4 miles, yoga 20 minutes
Tomorrow: PT back exercises

Amazing weather and burpees

The amazing weather continues.  Again, clear blue skies with incredible mountain views to the east and west and clouds that look like paintings.  I'm going skiing tomorrow (possible the last time in a long while), then gearing up for a long run on Saturday.  More to follow.


On a side note, I've been suckered into a "burpee" contest starting Monday (Mar 15).  For crossfit devotees this is familiar, for others this is a squat/pushup/squat/jump combo that is quite challenging.  This will be in addition to regular training until the contest takes over my life!


Yesterday: PT back exercises/stretching and resistance: core ("Ab Ripper X"), pushups (100 total standard/wide/military), pullups with resistance band (60 total - 40 standard, 20 chin ups), dumbbell curls (4 sets of 8-10)
Today: rest

Just not feeling it

After a busy weekend of working on the house, I thought I had planned the perfect long run for today.  Indeed, it was sunny, 50 degrees, and the course was a fantastic mixture of paved and rural dirt roads with snowy mountain views.  But, as I started, I was just not feeling it; a combination of poor sleep, poor nutrition, stress, and too few runs this weekend.  Sometimes I walk the line and push through, but today I turned around and made this long run into a very pleasant 6 miler.

It is a fine line, though, and I always wonder, when I "listen to my body," how smart it actually is.  Certainly I could have pushed through and done the run with (probably) no ill effects, but my tolerance for slogging miserably for three hours is low at this point.  Perhaps that's counterproductive, and if there were no question that I was going to push through my mind would be freed from the decision, and joy of the run would find me regardless of initial attitude.  But, always pushing through is partly why I felt burned out on running six months ago and took a break.  Regardless, as winter melts away and the conditions are ostensibly perfect, I'm continually reminded of the mental challenge that is running. This mental challenge, of course, is what makes it worthwhile and so satisfying.  Lest you think I consider a 6 mile run a failure, I don't...it was pleasant and I'm now enjoying a relaxing cup of tea as I write this.  But there's something untapped, for the time being, that won't be let out until the next time I do push through and finish what I started.

Saturday - rest
Sunday - PT exercises, yoga 45 min
Today - run 6 miles easy

Sunny days

We've had a series of beautiful sunny and warmer days that are perfect for running.  Today I had a fantastic low-key  run and eased back into some resistance training.

One thing I've discovered over the last six months or so is that running and resistance work complement each other very nicely.  I've never been a fan of those resistance circuits that are found in many parks (really, their aging remnants are found in many parks, as I think their heyday has passed), but I have found myself almost accidentally duplicating these when I break up treadmill runs with lifting.  In fact, if I had time I'd add some lifting before, during, or after every run, and yoga later in the day each time I run.  I'm not sure I can do this, as my wife will tell anyone who is interested that I already dawdle around for far too long after a run of any substantial length.  I think that's actually a nice side effect of endorphins: after running I really could care less about deadlines, time pressures, and what I need to do in the immediate future.  It's dissociative, but in a pleasant and mild way.

Wednesday: PT/Back exercises and stretching

Yesterday: Run 4m in 35:44 (8:56 pc), resistance: core ("Ab Ripper X"), pushups (75 total standard/wide/military), pullups with resistance band (45 total - 30 standard, 15 chin ups), dumbbell curls (3 sets of 10-15)
Today: PT/Back exercises;  plan for some yoga later on

Good run

Great run today: 4 miles pace run with hills on treadmill in 33:38 (8:25 pace)
Then brutal physical therapy

March! and a few thoughts about yoga

March is here - a psychological milestone if nothing else.  The weather is no different than February although we are lucky to have unusually clear roads for this time of year.  After an unexpectedly long run on Friday afternoon, I worked all weekend and wasn't able to do much by way of training.  In physical therapy I have graduated to once weekly therapy with daily at-home stretches and every other day exercises, most of which I integrate into lifting or core routines.  That's the plan, anyway, as I can fit it in.

The neck sprain is improving and in the meantime I sprained my wrist, making vigorous resistance training very difficult, except for pure leg workouts, which I'm not really doing right now, and some core work.  In this context, I've realized that for me, yoga is less enjoyable if it is not in counterpoint to some hard, caveman style calisthenic or resistance training (yes, burpees included for the crossfit devotees out there).  Ironically, my running is going as well as it has anytime over the past few years, and I am very optimistic about the marathon in may.  But, just as I was feeling real progress in overall strength, fitness, and power, I am "sidelined" by injuries that are purely my fault.  So the lesson going forward is either (1) be more careful and protect yourself better when pushing the limits, or (2) just roll with it and be glad you can still run for now.  #1 is hard for me because it's difficult for me to be careful while pushing limits (the neck was mostly my fault, along with some underlying biomechanic imbalances, and the wrist strain was purely my fault).  #2 sounds great but of course the art of acceptance is easier said than done.

In any case, I have the pleasure of a day at home with the girls today -- Jess is back at work temporarily so we are juggling for a bit -- after some good hard work this weekend.  I will get back on the road (or path) tomorrow and see how things go from there...

yesterday: yoga 1 hour
today: rest day