Well everyone, I think you'd be proud of me.

I just ran 6.25 miles.

On the treadmill.

It actually wasn't too bad. It wasn't my treadmill, thank God. There's no way on earth I could have run for 53 minutes on my own treadmill. But anyway, I did do it, and even have a blister to show for it.

With the blister thing, I know better. I have hiking socks, I should have running socks. Time to go to the store.

Treadmill run, 7mph, 0% incline, 53:31:97, 6.25 miles, 601 calories burned

Greg

I wish I could say today was a good day, but that's just not the case. I ate well, but no workout. I'm going to try and work out tonight, but today's situation just made the gym workout impossible.

Long story short, on Saturday we moved my mom to her own apartment. Today, there was an incident with her that caused her to have her drivers license taken away. My father-in-law ended up accusing us of not taking good care of her, and I was ended up a mental case all morning. Since I wasn't very useful at work anyway, I left, came home and spent the rest of the day with my mom.

The upside is that I ate fairly well. Here's my day's log:

B: 3/4 cup multigrain oatbran cereal, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup blueberries, breakfast burrito (1 egg, 1 Flat Out Light wrap): 348 calories
L: MetRx Big 100 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor protein bar, 1 apple: 421 calories
S: 1.5oz honey roasted peanuts: 250 calories
D: 5oz beef ribs, 1 cup romaine, 1tbsp regular ranch (was at my in-laws), 1 apple: 491 calories
Total: 1530 calories

I still have 180 calories or so I can eat. I'm saving it up to eat before & after cardio tonight. I will say this though, I'm not holding my breath for 600 calories today! Hehe.

Oh, one other thing. I was worried I might have a stress fracture, went to the doc today and he confirmed it's not that. Just a bit of a strain, so I have to take it a bit easy. Thing is, it doesn't hurt while exercising or walking, it only hurts when I put pressure on it. The upside there is that I don't have to take it easy exercising, since it's not putting more strain. :)

This morning the scale in the bathroom was 3.5 pounds more than yesterday. How does that happen?

The gym scale this afternoon showed 170 pounds. Minus my clothes, that's right around where I was in the bathroom this morning. *sigh* no telling what's the deal.

It was back to the program today.

Circuit 1
Body Ball Push-ups, 10 reps
Push-ups, To failure, 15 reps
Cable Leg Extensions, 10 reps ea leg (20 total)
Step Plyos, 1 min

Circuit 2
Dumbbell Presses on Body Ball, 10 reps alternating arms (5 ea) @ 40lbs
Half-Crow Push-ups, 5 reps ea leg (10 total)
Harpies, 20 reps
Jump Squats, 10 reps
Warrior Pose w/Tricep Press 30 sec ea leg @ 25lbs

Circuit 3
Dips, To failure, 8 reps
Hanging Abs, 15 reps
Static Lunges w/Lateral Shoulder Raise, 10 reps ea leg (20 total) @ 15lbs
Side Step Plyos, 1 min

Circuit 4
Pike Push-ups, 10 reps
Squat & Military Shoulder Press, 10 reps @ 20lbs
Dropsies, 8 reps ea leg (16 total)
Jump Rope, 1 min

Circuit 5
Bench Dips w/Feet on Body Ball, 15 reps
Bicycle Crunches, 30 scissors
Plank Twists, 20 reps ea side (40 total)
Boat Pose, 30 secs

38 minutes, 211 calories burned

Greg

I'm back from this morning's 5k, the Run Drugs Out of Town for my area. There were about 200 people there. There wasn't any official timing, which was a shame, but here's my results:

Time: 25:09:12, my fastest 5k time! Once again, I blew my old time out of the water, this time by 2:11! My pastor ran with me and wasn't too much farther back than I was, he finished only 15 or 20 seconds after I did.

Oh, and my bib # was 42. See, now THAT'S why I got the time I did...

Diggin' the 5k's so far. :) 301 calories burned.

Greg

I wanted to burn 600 calories tonight but that would have been another 30 to 45 minutes of cardio. I'm in a 5k tomorrow at 9, so I figured I should take it easy tonight.

So in the end I did 20 minutes on the treadmill @ 6mph, then another 25 on the stairclimber, all while watching Babylon 5. Only one episode left until the end of Season 1.

350 calories burned.

Greg

...and another thing:

30 minute treadmill, 6mph
10 minute stairclimber, level 5 regular action
Calories burned: 429
Total for the day: 678

"You take Zathras? Zathras die. You leave Zathras? Zathras die. Either way... things not good for Zathras."

Finished up in the gym a little while ago. Same workout as Monday with one humungous difference: no wooziness! Thank goodness, the sprint intervals were looking mighty scary today, but even at 12mph they weren't a problem (Monday I only did 10mph because of the bum treadmill).

At any rate, 36 minutes, 249 calories burned. That means I get to burn 350 tonight while watching... Babylon Squared!

I started on the long road to building endurance while jogging today. They say you should increase your mileage by no more than 10% per week to avoid injury, so today was my 10%.

Before today my longest jog was 5 miles, today I went 5.5. The 5-mile mark was my best time actually, at 49:04. I finished out 5.5 miles in 53:51.

570 calories burned.

Well the proof has arrived... they finally posted pictures from the 5k Zoo Zoom I participated in the weekend before last. So now I have proof that I actually ran! They didn't get me crossing the finish line though.


The guy in the cap is the one I was using as an idea of my pace. I ended up finishing before he did. So for the kids' sake, here's my son.


And my daughter. :)

Goodness... I worked out just fine last week, but eating was HORRIBLE. Anything you can think of that was bad to eat, I think I ate it. This includes candy, cake, donuts, cotton candy, even french fries. Not all at once, of course. So I decided this week, time to get back on course. There was birthday cake at work that I didn't touch (thank God).

OK, so today was DAY 8. Here we go:

Circuit 1
Scorpion Push-ups, 20 reps
Dumbbell Flys on Body Ball w/Crunches, 10 reps @ 30lbs
Leg Extensions (pyramid up with weight), 20 @ 80lbs, 12 @ 90lbs, , 8 @ 100lbs
Jump Squats, Reps to failure, 20 total

Circuit 2
Decline Dumbbell Presses, 10 reps per arm (20 total) @ 40lbs
V Cable Flys, 15 reps @ 40lbs
Squat Thrusts, 20 reps
Side Lunges, 20 reps alternating (10 ea)

Circuit 3
Close-Grip Pushups, reps to failure, 20 reps
Plank-ups, to failure, 20 reps
Jump Squats, to failure, 25 reps
One-Leg Squats, 10 reps per leg (20 total)
Jumping Jacks, 1 min

Circuit 4
Military Shoulder Press, 8 reps @ 35lbs
Wood Choppers, 30 reps (15 each side of body) @ 70lbs
Knee Tuck Jumps, 10 reps
Static Lunges w/Lateral Shoulder Raise, 10 reps on each leg @ 15lbs
Reverse Crunches, 5 reps
Hanging Abs with a Twist, 10 reps on each side (20 total)

Circuit 5
30-second sprints (5 over 5 mins), 30 secs on, 30 off, 12mph is what I was SUPPOSED to do... ended up with the bum treadmill that would only do 10mph. Here's where it gets weird, I thought I had plenty to eat, and I had a protein powder shake prior to my workout. Apparently not, because after the 3rd sprint, I started feeling dizzy. After the 4th sprint I had to turn off the treadmill and sit down on the ground because I felt like I was going to pass out. After about 30 seconds or so I started feeling better.

36 minutes in the gym, 243 calories burned.

I was really feeling bummed so I felt I needed to make up for it tonight. I did the same sprints @ 10mph on my treadmill at home (which doesn't do above 10, just like the sucky one at the gym). I finished all 5 with no problems at all. Then I did 3mph @ 10% incline for 30 minutes, and the last 15 on the stairmaster @ regular action, level 5.

45 minutes total cardio, 377 more calories burned.
Total for the day: 620 calories.

Here we are again, Monday morning...

I worked out just fine last week, but eating was HORRIBLE. Anything you can think of that was bad to eat, I think I ate it. This includes candy, cake, donuts, cotton candy, even french fries. Not all at once, of course. So I decided this week, time to get back on course. There was birthday cake at work that I didn't touch (thank God).

OK, so today was DAY 8. Here we go:

Circuit 1
Scorpion Push-ups, 20 reps
Dumbbell Flys on Body Ball w/Crunches, 10 reps @ 30lbs
Leg Extensions (pyramid up with weight), 20 @ 80lbs, 12 @ 90lbs, , 8 @ 100lbs
Jump Squats, Reps to failure, 20 total

Circuit 2
Decline Dumbbell Presses, 10 reps per arm (20 total) @ 40lbs
V Cable Flys, 15 reps @ 40lbs
Squat Thrusts, 20 reps
Side Lunges, 20 reps alternating (10 ea)

Circuit 3
Close-Grip Pushups, reps to failure, 20 reps
Plank-ups, to failure, 20 reps
Jump Squats, to failure, 25 reps
One-Leg Squats, 10 reps per leg (20 total)
Jumping Jacks, 1 min

Circuit 4
Military Shoulder Press, 8 reps @ 35lbs
Wood Choppers, 30 reps (15 each side of body) @ 70lbs
Knee Tuck Jumps, 10 reps
Static Lunges w/Lateral Shoulder Raise, 10 reps on each leg @ 15lbs
Reverse Crunches, 5 reps
Hanging Abs with a Twist, 10 reps on each side (20 total)

Circuit 5
30-second sprints (5 over 5 mins), 30 secs on, 30 off, 12mph is what I was SUPPOSED to do... ended up with the bum treadmill that would only do 10mph. Here's where it gets weird, I thought I had plenty to eat, and I had a protein powder shake prior to my workout. Apparently not, because after the 3rd sprint, I started feeling dizzy. After the 4th sprint I had to turn off the treadmill and sit down on the ground because I felt like I was going to pass out. After about 30 seconds or so I started feeling better.

36 minutes in the gym, 243 calories burned.

I was really feeling bummed so I felt I needed to make up for it tonight. I did the same sprints @ 10mph on my treadmill at home (which doesn't do above 10, just like the sucky one at the gym). I finished all 5 with no problems at all. Then I did 3mph @ 10% incline for 30 minutes, and the last 15 on the stairmaster @ regular action, level 5.

45 minutes total cardio, 377 more calories burned.
Total for the day: 620 calories.

I ran with my pastor this morning for the first time. He wanted to run at a conversational pace so we kept it at around 10 minutes per mile, did 5k in about 30 minutes. 346 calories burned, we'll be running the real 5k (Run Drugs Out of Town) next Saturday.

My Prime

All the time, I hear people say it. You've heard it said. Usually written, but sometimes spoken. "When I was in my prime, I..."

Growing up, I was outcast. Somehow I developed a reputation as the kid to pick on. Mid-stream my family moved from one town to another, and I thought wow, I can start anew. Problem was, the damage had been done, and while I was at a new place, my teenage brain couldn't comprehend that I could be anyone I wanted to be. So I took up the role I had in the previous town, at the previous school. The outcast.

I wasn't particularly athletic. As a child, I played little league, but couldn't throw the ball very far. I was afraid to bat, because I might be hit by the ball. I never swung at it, I let them walk me. One time I got to third base and was excited, but forgot to stand on the base, so I got tagged out. I played right field and the ball came to me once or twice, but I could never get the ball into the infield. I was taunted by all the kids until finally I couldn't take it anymore and finally quit. I was then called a quitter for many years.

I was a short kid, but was able to jump high enough to grab onto the basketball net, and when I was in the 8th Grade, I loved to play and thought that perhaps I could be on the team. Open tryouts were held, and I jumped at the chance. My father even stayed for the tryouts, something he never did. Every kid there laughed at me and told me I had no business being there. So I went home.

In high school, PE wasn't much better. I couldn't play football. The one time I got the ball, I ran with it the opposite direction and gave the other team a touchback. When I would show my lack of athletic ability, I was given the only punishment ever doled out by the teacher, who was the football coach: run laps. I think I spent my entire Freshman & Sophomore years running laps, very poorly.

In 1984, I got into a car accident with my mother and was injured. My mom made a bigger deal out of my injury, but I took it as my opportunity to get out of the hell that was PE. The doctor wrote a note, and I was excused from having to go. For me, this was a dream.

I did, however, find out on my own that I could run fast. At least, I thought I could run fast, and of cousre I could jump high. I thought wow, what about track & field? I could do the high jump, it looks pretty cool. Then I realized that I had this doctor note in the office, and if I were to try track & field, then I could easily be in PE. No thanks. So I didn't bother.

Girls were a joke. Nobody was interested in me, or at least that's how it seemed. I know I missed out on a few opportunities here and there due to my stupidity and lack of experience. I did finally have a girlfriend for the last few months of Senior year, but that was it.

I went on to college, but never did anything active. I was downright sedentary. As time went on, the pounds got added, and my activity level went down.

Over the years, life happened, there were ups and there were downs. I got married, had a son... and got diabetes. And high blood pressure. I took medications prescribed to me, which got things in control. Or should I say, barely over the line into control. I had two daughters along the way.

Then something happened. I don't know what it was, there was no light bulb. No epiphany, no illness, I already had that. God didn't give me a scare and suddenly I did what I had to do. There wasn't a moment that I could point to and say that was what made me come to my senses.

A friend just happened to introduce me to a diet plan. The stars must have been aligned properly, I must have been caught at a vulnerable moment. Someone waved a magic wand over my head and said abracadabra. Maybe I fell and hit my head. Whatever the case was, I did what needed to be done. I followed the instructions given in the book, and lost weight.

Then somehow I found myself getting fit. As I said, I have no idea why. Some kind of switch went on in my head that said, "Do this" and I did. So now I sit here at 10:45pm on Friday, April 18, 2008, writing something I should have said a long time ago.

Hi. My name is Greg. I'm 38 years old. And this moment, right here, right now... is my prime.

Gym was the same as Tuesday, 35 minutes, 265 calories burned. This evening I did 45 minutes of cardio on the stairclimber, level 5, climbing action, 14 floors per minute. 372 more calories burned, making 637 calories burned for the day. Gregory walked on the treadmill at 2mph alongside me, it was really cute. He loved it, wants to do it again. Very cool.

Hey, look! It's my gym!


Today was one of those days at work. Still is, actually, I didn't get to go to the gym until 1:30 and believe me, I was glad to get over there. For those of you counting, it's DAY 4:

Circuit 1
Dumbbell Presses on Body Ball, 20 reps (10 on each arm) @ 35lbs
Dumbbell Flys on Body Ball w/Crunches, 1/2 weight of press, 15 reps @ 15lbs
Squats, 50 fast (no added weight)
Sprint, 1 minute @ 9mph

Circuit 2
Plank, Hold pose for 10 secs
Close-Grip Push Ups, 5 reps
Side Planks w/Inner Thigh Raise, 10 reps
Flip back to Plank pose, 5 secs
Burpies, Straight from Plank, 10 reps
Sumo Squats, 50 reps
Sprint, 1 min @ 9mph

Circuit 3
Frog Push Ups, 20 reps
Squat Thrusts, 20 reps, then static squat @ 30 secs
W Shoulder Press w/Leg Extension, 10 reps on each leg @ 15lbs
Jump Rope, 1 min

Circuit 4
Bench Dips, 20 reps
Rope Tricep Presses, Reps to failure, 15 @ 60lbs
Static Lunges w/Lateral Shoulder Raise, 10 reps w/each leg forward @ 15lbs
Mountain Climbers, 1 min

Circuit 5
Jump Rope, 1 min
Bicycle Crunches, 50 reps
Extended Plank, Hold pose for 30 secs

29 minutes, 222 calories burned. Had a little time left, so I ran a mile on the treadmill @ 7mph for 90 more calories... total 312 calories.

Today was an off day for Making the Cut (considered DAY 3). At lunch I ran instead, 5 miles, my best time for 5 miles. At 50:58:86, I shaved 15 seconds off my time, and it was a pretty windy day, too. Back to the gym tomorrow.

Tonight before The Biggest Loser I ran 2 miles @ 7mph on the treadmill (1.5 degree incline, 18 minutes) and did 15 minutes @ level 5 on the stairclimber. I burned 404 more calories, making the total for the day 686.

..and speaking of The Biggest Loser, way to go, Ali! She's the first female contestant to win the big prize. We were pulling for her the whole way.

That 5k seriously boosted my mental state. I wasn't expecting that, and certainly didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't even a conscious thing.

Yesterday I started back on the Making the Cut program, this time without the math error I had before. My first workout went FABULOUSLY well, I made it through the circuit faster than before. My mood all day long was better than it's been in months. Things just weren't getting to me, not my job, my boss, the kids being fussy (which never changes, they're 2, 3, & 6). I wasn't able to do cardio last night and even that didn't bother me too much.

So then today I'm experiencing the same thing. Nothing's getting to me, I'm not on edge with people on the phone. My workout was great, had my heart rate wayyy up as it needed to be (at one point doing sprints I was at 202). This means that I was at the right intensity, whereas before I wasn't up there.

I don't know how long it's going to last, but I'm not complaining. Here's today's workout (I'll not post yesterday's, don't want to bore people too much):

Circuit 1
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns (pyramid weight), 20 @ 80lbs; 12 @90lbs; 8 @ 100lbs
Dumbbell Row, 15 @ 35lbs
Lunges, 50 reps, alternating (25 per leg)
Hill run, incline 10, 8mph, 1 min

Circuit 2
Low Dumbbell Rows, 15 @ 35lbs
Seated Hamstring Curls, 15 @ 90lbs
Step-ups 40 reps, alternating (20 per leg)
Hill run, incline 10, 8mph, 1 min

Circuit 3
Crab Walk, 10 steps forward
Reverse Plank, 5 leg lifts on each leg (10 total)
Crab Walk, 10 steps backward
Reverse Plank, 5 leg lifts on each leg (10 total)
Supermans, 20 reps, then hold midpoint 20 secs
Reverse Crunches, 25 reps
Mountain Climbers, 1 min

Circuit 4
Pendulum Lunges w/Hammer Curls, 10 reps on each leg (20 total) @ 20lbs
Hammer Curls, Reps to bicep failure @ 35lbs
Static Lunges w/Reverse Cable Fly, 10 reps with each leg forward (20 total)
Hill run, incline 10, 8mph, 1 min

Circuit 5
One-Leg Pelvic Thrusts, 15 reps per leg (30 total)
Toe Touch Crunches, 25 reps
Mountain Climbers, 1 min

36 minutes, 282 calories burned

The deed's been done... I've run my first 5k. Woo!

I had my alarm set this morning for 4:30am, and groggily got myself out of bed around 4:45. My wife and I actually got the kids out of bed and on the road by 5:15. We got to the Natomas (Truxel Road) IHOP by 6. Stay away from that IHOP, btw, for so many reasons it's just a terrible, terrible place. We would have gone elsewhere except my kids absolutely love IHOP, and I figured it'd be a good place for breakfast to fuel up for the day. It did the job.

We got over to the Sacramento Zoo around 7, which was the time I had wanted to get there to avoid having trouble finding a parking spot. We were in one of my favorite places to park over there, in front of the rock garden in Land Park. After finding out I didn't have to sign in or anything, we sort of hung around, waiting for the 5k to start.

There were a lot more people than the Zoo Zoom organizers had projected. Between the 5k and the 10k, their count was 3200. Even with that number, I saw one woman roaming around with #3381. For the record, I was #161.

Things didn't get started right at 8am. With the number of latecomers, we didn't actually start running until probably 8:10. This is where it gets a little strange. Fleet Feet Sports told me that with the chips you attach to your shoes, it keeps track of when you start and when you finish, so that even if you start 5 minutes after the starting gun, it goes by the time you cross the starting gate. I found out that this just wasn't the case. More about that in a minute.

They told everyone to make sure we were matched pace-wise with each other. They didn't want slower people in front of the faster people, slowing them down. Totally understandable, so rating myself, I was a little ways into the pack.

When they sounded the horn (no gun, hehe), we were off. I was walking at first, approaching the starting line, or at least what they said was the starting line (they had these two towers of balloons on either side of a white line that was painted across the street). As I crossed this line, I started both the timer in my HRM watch, and the timer on the GPS.

I quickly realized that where I was positioned was way too far back. I was running faster than most of the people around me, but also saw that other people had the same problem. Very quickly, the slower people started moving to the right, while the faster people moved to the left and passed them. I went with the faster people.

There were three people I had my eye on the whole time. The first one was this guy running much faster than me with a jogging stroller holding TRIPLETS. I couldn't help but think how much fun those kids were having. Then there was a couple in front of me that obviously the man was slowing down to keep up with the woman. After about a half-mile, he passed her up and for some strange reason, in my mind I decided he'd be my pace car. I thought, as long as he's just in front of me and not too far ahead, I'm doing well.

At Mile 1 they had a water station, which I thought would be BOTTLES, but no. They were cups, so it ended up being just a couple sips. The rest of the water ended up all over my shoulders. Hey, I'm lucky I was even able to grab the cup from the volunteer's hand. :)

The guy I planned to keep pace with was still as far ahead of me as he'd been before. I looked down at the GPS and it said my pace was 8:30. Cool! There was this band playing just for the runners, I thought that was a neat touch. Then we passed Mile 2 and another water station. Another good few sips.

At Mile 3, I saw the finish line and decided to speed up. As I did this, I passed the guy I had my eye on and kept going. Then I saw the clock: no, I thought, it can't be. Yup, it was.

As I crossed the finish line, I stopped the timers and knew I'd be somewhere around 27 minutes because of seeing the clock. Wha? My personal record (PR) was 28 minutes, this couldn't be right. I looked down at the HRM watch... 26:57. The GPS said 27:02.

I found my wife, and we headed into the zoo, where they had the times posted:

Place Name City Bib No Age Age Group Time Pace
251 Greg Chance Olivehurst CA 161 38 24 M 35-39 27:20.0 8:49/M

Not only did I beat my PR, I WHOMPED on it. I've been having trouble even breaking 29 minutes lately, and haven't even been close. I was almost a minute faster than my best! An 8:49 mile!

So I'm very happy. Sure I was only 251st overall and 24th in my age group. My original goal was only to finish in under 30 minutes.

About the strangeness about the start: I stopped my GPS at the finish line, but my distance was only 3.07 miles. So apparently Fleet Feet was wrong, they started timing exactly when the horn went off, which was .05 miles from where I thought the start was. What that also means is that if I had started farther forward, with the faster people, my time would have been even better.

The average pace listed by the GPS was an 8:46 mile. The official pace was 8:49, which is mighty close!

2008 Zoo Zoom 5k Overall Rankings
2008 Zoo Zoom 5k Age Group Rankings

And btw, I burned 313 calories.

Oh man, I just have to share this one with everyone.

This morning was my church's Men's Breakfast, and of course my pastor was there. We've done some hiking together (Half Dome, Lassen), and I've known him for YEARS. I think I met him about 15 years ago.

He's been a runner for years and years. He punctuates a lot of his sermons relating them to running, that sort of thing, and I always looked at him as an authority on the subject. When I first started running, I went to him for advice on where to get the best shoes.

So anyway, I told him a while back about the 5k I'm doing tomorrow, but it's on a Sunday which really rules it out for him. There's another one coming up in two weeks, so he said he wanted to do it with me. No problem there, I gave him the details, and he got signed up.

OK, so the Men's Breakfast. I picked up my packet for the 5k yesterday, so I brought it along for him and everyone else to see. We got talking about it, and he proudly announced to me that he ran 5k for the first time the other day. First time? So I asked him, how long did it take? He tells me 34 minutes.

My eyes got big as it dawned on me that he runs slower than me. The guy who's been running 10 times longer than me runs slower and shorter than me? I was confused! I still look at my run as a shuffle, and as I told him today, I feel like a slug as I move along.

I was (and am) dumbfounded. I mean, I realize he's older than me (by about 16 years), but still. He definitely outpaced me on Half Dome, so shape is not an issue. He's in great shape. He wants to go running with me next Saturday morning, which I happily said yes to.

A few other people showed up, and he really made me self conscious. Our Men's Camp is coming up the first weekend of May, and every year he runs on Saturday morning. The past few years, he's invited others to join him. Last year I wanted to join him but I didn't get to go because of my mother's health. Anyway, said to this one guy Russell, "Russ, Russ... THIS (pointing at me) is the guy! He's gonna lead us on our run at Men's Camp!"

Wow. :)

I'm extremely proud of myself because today, Saturday, I managed to get my sorry butt out of bed at 6:30am. I was out the door jogging as the sun was peeking over the houses. 53 degrees, great temp to get started at.

I didn't beat my record for 5k, but I did as well as yesterday: 29:09:81. Normally I'd be annoyed (I'm still not sure why I've slowed since February), but I'm not because this is the dirt trail next to my house. Prior to this on that trail I was at like 31 minutes, which is absolutely ridiculous. Maybe I'm just more familiar with the dirt vs. road.

I'm not sure if I want to do more cardio this evening. On one hand I want to make my 600-calorie goal, but on the other, the "real" 5k is tomorrow morning and I want to make sure I'm rested. We'll see how it goes after a day of yard work.

340 calories burned.

I went down to Fleet Feet on the way home from work to pick up the materials for the Zoo Zoom. For me, it was a shirt, the tracking chip, my bib (I hate that name), and a t-shirt. For Jenny & Gregory, it was their bibs (both number one - appearently all the kids are #1) and t-shirts. Their smallest shirt size was Gregory's size! He's six, but Jenny's only three and about half his size. I suppose she'll grow into it.

I guess this means we're committed. It's going to be really cool, and runner's family members all get into the zoo for free. The schedule is:

8:00 a.m. 5 km Run/Walk (3.1 miles)
8:35 a.m. 10 km Run (6.2 miles)
9:30 a.m. 5 km awards ceremony (Main Stage inside the Zoo)
9:45 a.m. Saucony Run for Good Fun Runs
220-yard run for ages 4-under (no toddlers, this event is on the road!)
440-yard run for ages 5-6
1/2-Mile run for ages 7-9
1-mile run for ages 10-12 (Additional waves may be added based on entry numbers)
10:30 a.m. 10 km awards ceremony (Main Stage)
10:45 a.m. T-Bone's Magic and Fitness Adventure (Main Stage)

That means that for all of us to eat breakfast early, we'll have to get out of the house at like 5:30! That's ok though, I think we can manage. I'll do the 5k at 8, then depending on zoo hours we'll either spectate the 10k, or head into the zoo.

I have a few goals for the 5k:

- Finish faster than 30 minutes (no problem, but it has to be a goal)
- Finish in the top 10
- Have fun

#2 will be harder than #3, of course. Looking at last year's 5k standings for my age group if I work my butt off I should be able to crack the Top 10, but there are more people registered this year than last. Looking at the 10k standings and times, it's obvious to me that most people register for the 10k. If there were that many for the 5k, there's no way I'd make the Top 10.

So... keep me in your prayers.

I ran 5k at lunch, but used a different strategy this time. I found I pushed myself too much in the first mile the last time to the point where I was just pooped at the end. I think that's where I've been going wrong lately and why my times have suffered.

29:07:67 this time around, not my greatest, but I feel better afterwards. I'm not EXHAUSTED like I was the other day. Then I did a light jog back to work. 37 minutes total, 425 calories burned.

Maybe I can punch it just a TINY bit more on Sunday. :)

On a message board I frequent someone linked to this video of the Dallas Cowboys doing their training, and oh man, I recognize a lot of those! Notice what they're doing, too:

- FAST lifting, not slow. They're all for fast twitch muscle fibers.
- KEEPING THE HEART RATE UP. Circuit training to burn more calories while building muscle.

I *love* watching videos like this. There's no room for slacking with these guys. They're professional. Watching stuff like this gets me back in check to where I need to be. Which is where I'm not now. :)

Like today. Thanks to taking the car to the body shop for an estimate this morning, that was my lunch hour. I didn't work out at work, so I said no problem, I'll burn the 600 at home tonight.

Yeahhhh right. I did a half-hour of cardio, burned 330 calories, and decided to watch tv with my wife for a while. That was my big mistake right there, assuming I'd get back to it after. She went to bed after The Riches, but did I? Nooo, I started feeling tired and look at me, I didn't work out any more.

Not to mention, I continue to be a wimp on the treadmill! I just don't understand it. I took my speed down to 6mph for the entire stretch, yet I bailed at 20 minutes and switched to the stairclimber. For some reason I just can't sustain much time on there these days.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now. At least I'm going to bed at 10 tonight!

I also got my confirmation email for the Zoo Zoom today. It says you can switch runs prior to race day (like switch from the 5k to the 10k or back), and I'm seriously tempted. But I know that since this is my first race, I better do what I know I can do. Don't want to overdo it my first time out! Only 3 days left, I pick up my chip & race bib tomorrow.

Tonight, I dodged a SERIOUS bullet. There I was, in the mini market getting a drink or the drive home, when I saw a nice, fresh pile of donuts. Just CALLING my name.

Then I remembered, I have two $1 off coupons for MetRx Protein Plus bars in the car. So I grabbed one, grabbed a bar, and that satisfied the craving. 320 calories, I ate that in lieu of dinner.

43 minutes on the stairclimber this evening (basically the length of a Babylon 5 episode). 360 more calories burned, 756 total for the day (that's a bit over the 600-calorie goal, hehe).

The B5 episode was Grail. Not the greatest episode of the series, but you know I'm gaining a new respect for those Season 1 episodes. They aren't near as bad as some people like to make them out to be.

Just got back from a 30-minute jog. 5k, then walked back to work. 396 calories burned.

Tonight I decided to do my cardio before Biggest Loser instead of after, in an attempt to get to bed earlier. So why am I online at 10:45pm? Posting, of course, hehe.

24 minutes on the treadmill. First mile @ 7mph, rest 30 seconds, 1/4 mile @ 6mph, 3/4 mile @ 7mph. 15 more minutes on the stairclimber, regular climb, level 4. Calories burned: 409. Total for today: 609.

DAY 30's over, the program's over, *snif*. It also ended with a whimper, it wasn't too difficult a workout. Not nearly as difficult as yesterday's anyway, although I was really feeling it before the back extensions were over. I also did more pike crunches than I've been able to do before, and was able to up the weight on the plank rows.

Circuit 1
Standing Lat Pulldowns, 8 reps w/heavy weight whatever that's supposed to mean, 80lbs
Lunges (Basic), 50 rapidly alternating legs

Circuit 2
Plank Rows, 20 reps (10 per arm), @ 25lbs
Jumping Lunges, 20
Swing Kicks (kick leg over back of chair), 30 reps (15 per leg)

Circuit 3
Seated Cable Rows, 12 @ 120lbs
Pendulum Lunges w/Hammer Curls, 20 (10 each leg) @ 15lbs
Step-ups, 20 (10 each leg)

Circuit 4
Frog Kicks, 20 reps
Back Extensions, 10 reps on Roman Chair
Pike Crunch, 20 without weights, 20 w/15lb dumbbells in hands

Circuit 5
Dumbbell Rows, 12 reps
Military Shoulder Press Prone on Body Ball, 10 reps
Concentration Curls, 24 reps (12 per arm) in static squat (ouchie)
Rock Star Jumps, 20 reps

The rest of the week I'm going to run at lunch, taking Saturday off in prep for Sunday's 5k.

"HOLY CRAP!"

That's what I said this morning as the fiberglass pickup bed cover came hurtling towards me this morning on the freeway at 75mph. I couldn't swerve, couldn't do anything except watch it happen. I lucked out, it came at me flat (as opposed to spinning on its side) and hit my Xterra, then bounced to the side. There are a few small dents in the hood (one of the windshield fluid nozzles is cockeyed) and lots of scrapes on the side. Got the passenger window, too.

I do consider myself very lucky. Minimal damage, no big accident. The owner disappeared, I only stuck around for about 5 minutes. There aren't many exits on that section, so my guess is he went to the nearest exit and came back. That would have taken 20 minutes or more and I was long gone by that point.

The insurance said it won't affect my premiums, and I have a $100 deductible. They also said a rental car is covered.

Just think if it had been moving towards me differently, or was a camper shell. VERY lucky.

Hood


Windshield Washer Nozzle


Door Frame


Door

DAY 29 is gone. What a workout, it really got stepped up, lemme tell you. LOTS of leg stuff. I have a feeling I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

Circuit 1
Dumbbell Presses, Pyramid up weight, 15 @ 25lbs, 8 @ 30lbs, 6 @ 35lbs
Dumbbell Flys on Body Ball w/Crunches, Reps to failure, 20 @ 25lbs
Leg Presses, Pyramid, 15 @ 90lbs, 8 @ 180lbs, 6 @ 270lbs
Jump Squats, Reps to failure, 20 reps
Jump Rope, Fast, 2 mins

Circuit 2
Close-Grip Push-ups, 10 reps on body ball
Frog Push-ups, 10 reps
Bench Dips, Reps to failure, 6 reps
One-Leg Squats, 10 reps on right leg, hold until failure, 10 secs... same with left, 20 secs until failure
Leg Extensions, Reps to failure, 20 @ 80lbs

Circuit 3
Pike Push-ups, 10 reps
Static Lunges, 20 reps (10 per leg)
Static Lunges w/Lateral Shoulder Raise, 20 reps (10 per leg) @ 15lbs
Side Lunges w/Anterior Shoulder Raise, 20 reps (10 per leg) @ 15lbs
Jump Rope, Fast, 2 mins

Circuit 4
Sumo Squats w/Tricep Extension, 20 reps @ 15lbs
Tricep Kick-backs, 15 @ 35lbs
Pike Crunches, 20 reps
Hanging Abs, 15 reps

Circuit 5
Chair Pose, 1 min
Extended Plank, 1 min
Side Plank, 1 min each side
Mountain Climbers, 1 min for the FIRST TIME! Until now it's been 2 sets @ 30 secs.
Bicycle Crunches, 100 reps

One more day and the program's over. The rest of the week will be runs, gearing up for the 5k.

53 minutes, 362 calories burned.

This morning I ran 5 miles. My time was for crap of course, for some reason I go a lot slower on the dirt trail by the railroad tracks than I do on the street. I'm not too worried about it though. So that's 5 miles, 54 minutes, 563 calories burned.

That's another odd thing. I find that when I use the heart rate monitor for calorie tracking, it's a LOT lower than the other things that track. For example, the GPS said I burned 750 calories. When on the treadmill it reads consistently higher, and on the stairclimber the same way, higher. I believe the HRM more than the other devices though.

I'm still under the 600 calories I like to average so I'll probably do 15 minutes on the stairclimber tonight.

It's that time once again. :)

DAY 26: 40 minute workout in the gym at lunch, same as Tuesday, 242 calories burned. Tonight, 2 miles on the treadmill @ 6.5mph, 18.5 minutes, and 15 minutes on the stairclimber @ level 3, 367 calories burned. Total for the day: 613 calories.

So that's my exercise goal now: ~600 calories per day, Monday thru Saturday. Workouts at the gym will follow Making the Cut, and cardio in the evening at home. Less calories during the day? More at night. Off days at the gym are training for runs.

Speaking of which, 9 days until the Zoo Zoom. I can't wait!

Alright... 31 minutes of cardio (15 min treadmill @ 6.7mph, 15 min stairclimber, random climbing, level 3), 302 calories burned. Total for the day: 588.

Since I just changed up the diet, plus haven't posted it in a while:

Breakfast: 1 cup multigrain oat bran, 1 cup fat free milk, .5 cup blueberries (DELICIOUS!): 273 calories
Pre-Workout: protein powder shake, 120 calories
Post-Workout: protein powder shake, 120 calories
Lunch: 6.5oz boneless, skinless, roasted chicken breast, 2 cups lettuce, 1 tomato, 1 tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch Light, 1 slice sprouted flax seed bread, 1 apple: 512 calories
BADNESS: 1 chocolate truffle, 31 calories (couldn't believe it but that's what it said)
Dinner: 3oz pork chop, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 slice sprouted flax seed bread, 1 orange, slim-a-bear 100 calorie ice cream bar: 487 calories
Pre-Workout: 6 pcs Mrs. May's Cashew Crunch, 150 calories

Total Intake: 1843 calories
Deficit: 455 calories

My intake was still a bit more than I would like by about 130 calories. No more ice cream. ;)

DAY 25, although I started today eating correctly. It's strange, but when I was eating too much I felt like I was eating after i was done eating. After recalculating it's almost identical to my old plan's metabolic adjustment.

Anyway, day 25 is identical to day 21, which was Sunday. 37 minutes, 282 calories burned. Stay tuned for cardio... :)

Well, my brain has been declared dead. Or should be. I dunno.

In Making the Cut, one of the first things you do is calculate your RMR. You can use an online tool, or you can do the calculations yourself with a formula provided in the book. I opted for the formula. I REALLY wish I could find the paper where I did my math, because certainly I was wrong somewhere along the line.

I had my calories set for 2166. The past 3 1/2 weeks I've been EXTREMELY careful to be as close to this number as possible. After three weeks, you're supposed to recalculate BMR. This time, I used Excel.

The formula is, for men:

66 + (6.23 * weight in pounds) + (12.7 * height in inches) - (6.8 * age in years)

My BMR is 1711!

So I was thinking, hmm. As of this morning, since I started the new plan I've gained 4 pounds. 4 pounds in 3 weeks, and I've been trying hard not to be upset over it because I've lost an inch around the middle. Still, the results certainly haven't been what Jillian Michaels claimed in the book, not even close.

So let's see... 2166 - 1711 = ~455 extra calories I've been eating every day. So I look at my log software, which will tell me each day how much deficit I had.

Today: 542 calories
4/1: 331
3/31: 320
3/30: 583
3/28: 95
3/27: 433
3/26: 730

So with JUST those, taking an average, what do we have? 433 FREAKING CALORIES!!! Sound familiar?!?!?!?!? Yup, I've been set up for maintenance.

I swear, man. There must be something wrong with me. Today's what, Day 24, off day, cardio day. 6 more days and the 30 days are up. After that I'm starting back at Day 1.

I should be an expert now, right? :)

I ran 5k again today, and once again, I felt like I was flying... but I wasn't. Today was 29:19, over a minute slower than my best outdoor time.. Still, I got to play with my GPS toy. :P I just keep wondering why my perception is that I'm running a lot faster than I really am. 11 days until the real deal!

Afterwards I walked back to work, total 437 calories burned.

DAY 23, here we go...

Circuit 1
Medium-Underhand-Grip Pull-downs, Reps to failure, 20 total
Seated Cable Rows, Reps to failure, then hold 30 secs, 20 total + 30 seconds
Jump Squat, 15 reps
One-Leg Pelvic Thrusts, Reps to failure, 67 total (whew)

Circuit 2
Wide-Grip Lat Pull-downs, 20 reps @ 100lbs
Squat Swings, 10 reps, 10 w/5kg medicine ball
Jumping Lunges, Reps to failure, 30 total

Circuit 3
Plank Rows, 10 reps (5 each arm) @ 20lbs (these are HARD!!! I can row 45lb dumbbells but not in plank position, man!)
Supermans, 20 reps
Squats w/Bicep Curls, 10 reps (5 each arm) @ 15lbs (would be more if not for balance)
Hill Run, Incline 10, Speed 7mph, 1 min

Circuit 4
Hack Squats (this is against the wall with a ball), 20 reps
Seated Hamstring Curls, Reps to failure, 40 @ 75lbs
Hammer Curls, 20 reps (10 each arm) @ 25lbs
Jump Rope, Fast, 2 mins

Circuit 5
Crossover Lunges w/Hammer Curls, 20 reps @ 15lbs
Ball Crunches, 25 reps
Hanging Abs w/Twist, 8 reps each side, 16 total
Hill Run, Incline 15, Speed 7.5mph, 1 min

34 minutes, 252 calories burned

Then tonight's stairclimber session at home, 34 minutes, hill climb, level 8, 399 calories burned

Total: 651 calories for the day