The Chances

How a 250+ Pound Couch Potato Got Healthy

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Today's Tweets

06:12 Wt: 165.6, RHR: 58 #

07:37 Kathy Griffin is seeing Steve Wozniak??? #

07:58 At work at last, ready for the day. Sprints later today! #

10:07 Crap! I brought a mini Clif bar to eat before my run, but it seems to have vanished. #

10:12 How the heck does @ lancearmstrong ride fast and take pictures at the same time? twitpic.com/xyck #

13:33 Back from my run, btw. Sprint intervals, was supposed to be 7:22x6 and it was more like 6:45-7:00, hehe. Can't complain about that! #

13:33 Just don't ask me to run more than a minute at that pace! #

13:42 SportTracks users: Is there a way to combine workouts? My warmup is a separate workout, and I want it attached to the intervals & cooldown. #

14:44 Mapped 12/30/2008 Route 1 (1.12 mi.) #

14:46 Completed Warmup. 135 (kcal) Distance 1.12 mi. Duration 00:10:01 #

14:48 Mapped 12/30/2008 Route 2 (3.39 mi.) #

15:01 Completed Sprint Intervals. 346 (kcal) Distance 3.41 mi. Duration 00:31:26 #

17:04 New Flickr upload: 12-30-2008 Intervals: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: tinyurl.com/96tleh #

17:04 New post on my blog: Intervals - 4.5 miles: Today was the first run in my marathon training... tinyurl.com/7gw49s #

17:23 Time to head out. You know the drill. Diet Dew, although today I'm also swinging by Fleet Feet for a training log. Wheeeeee! #

17:43 Got my dew, but... FOG! #

20:04 @ greggrunberg is begging people to follow, he's offering a signed Heroes script for #10k, as well as an empty bottle of ranch dressing #

20:05 If you don't know someone, is it bad form NOT to follow them back if they just look icky? #

22:28 Nite all, sleep well, and dream of large women. #

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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Intervals - 4.5 miles

Today was the first run in my marathon training. The plan I'm using is the FIRST Marathon Training Program. If you're unfamiliar with the program, it's basically a 3-day-a-week plan. WHAT, you ask, ONLY THREE?!?! For many reasons, I see this as the best plan for me. I don't want to forsake my gym workouts, which are 3 days a week. So I go into the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with Saturday being the long run. Sunday is a total day off.

Anyway, today's run. Sprint intervals! The plan listed it as:

  • 10 minute warmup
  • 6 x (1 minute fast then 3 minutes easy)
  • 10 minute cooldown

    I used the Garmin 305 for timing the intervals, but I did the warmup wrong and ended up with it being a completely separate workout rather than another lap. I did it, honest!

    So here's how it went. They call the Tuesday run Key Run #1, which they say should be 45 seconds faster than my last 10k pace, which was 8:07/mi. Therefore my goal was 7:22/mi for each of the 1-min sprints.



    Warmup: 10 min @ 8:56/mi
    Interval 1: 1 min @ 6:26/mi, 3 min @ 9:34/mi
    Interval 2: 1 min @ 6:56/mi, 3 min @ 9:32/mi
    Interval 3: 1 min @ 7:05/mi, 3 min @ 9:34/mi
    Interval 4: 1 min @ 7:04/mi, 3 min @ 10:00/mi
    Interval 5: 1 min @ 6:44/mi, 3 min @ 10:27/mi
    Interval 6: 1 min @ 6:56/mi
    Cooldown: 10 min @ 10:22/mi

    All in all, it was successful. I was having a hard time doing 7:22, or should I say, concentrating on the GPS to keep it at 7:22. What I just decided to do is haul as much as I could, and as long as I was around 7:00, a bit less or a bit more, I was cool. Since the slower intervals weren't defined by the program other than "easy", that's what I did. Nice & easy.

    4.5 miles, 43 minutes, 484 calories burned

    I also realized I didn't post yesterday's weight workout, so I may as well post it now.

    Warmup, w/45lb bar
    * Overhead Squat
    * Squat
    * Good Morning
    * Barbell Lunge
    * Romanian Deadlift
    * Bent-over Row

    Workout
    * Incline Dumbell Press, 4x6x40lbs
    * Neutral Grip Dumbell Row, 6x6x40lbs
    * Scaption, 6x6x20lbs
    * Incline Lower Trap Raise, 6x6x15lbs

    30 minutes, 190 calories burned

    Back to the gym tomorrow.
  • Today's Tweets

    06:20 Wt: 166.4, RHR: 51 #

    07:03 Diet Dew in hand, I'm off to work. #

    07:58 /me lost a follower. How sad, he must have been taken aback by my keen sense of tedium. #

    08:00 Be careful after Wednesday night, we're adding an extra second to the year! tinyurl.com/8q3y6k #

    08:14 The owner of my company bought P90X supplements for a bunch of ppl, but as far as I can tell, nobody's actually doing the P90X program. #

    08:15 Just a thought: wouldn't purchasing the P90X program itself for people be better than spending the same $ on just supplements? #

    08:32 "What type of document are you printing?" "Oh, an asset recovery form." "Ok, was it a PDF attachment?" "No, it was just an email." #

    08:32 "So then you're printing an email?" "I am, yes." "And not a form?" "No, not a form." *grumble* #

    08:33 I swear the biggest problem with tech support is that people do their job but really don't know what they're doing when they do their job. #

    08:38 Scary headline: "Cruise: 'I Want Ten Children'" AAAAAAUGH! #

    09:00 My tempo pace is 7:37 - 7:52? Get outta here!!! #

    09:12 That was weird, Symantec Antivirus thought a Vista laptop was running 64-bit Vista, then couldn't install it. It's 32-bit, heh. #

    12:40 Just checked Garmin Connect, and nope, their "site improvement" did not include re-enabling the Forerunner 305. Hence not using their site. #

    12:42 When GNC says, "Improved Formula" on their protein powder, what it really means is, "Now Tastes More Like Ass". #

    12:43 Off to the gym. #

    13:35 Done with the gym, time to head back to work. #

    14:45 MapMyFitness.com: Completed 12/29/2008. 190 (kcal). 00:29:56 #

    16:11 It's now official: I'm registered for The Ave Marathon. GULP! #

    17:18 Got my Diet Dew, driving home while listening to Jillian Michaels. #

    18:30 Gah! Too many tweets! #

    19:24 Trying to be good at the Chinese buffet. It's so hard! Prob ate 800 calories. Eh, maybe 500. #

    20:05 It's amazing to me how many people are doing tri's over other things. Perhaps it's because they can't make up their minds, hehe. #

    22:36 Zzzzz #

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    Monday, December 29, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    06:28 Wt: 165, RHR: 54 #

    07:02 WOO! Some 24 sneak preview action, only three weeks left! tinyurl.com/7s52wm #

    09:49 Back from my 12-miler. Nice, easy run, didn't push it due to still not quite over being sick and remnants are there. Good to run again! #

    09:50 "Look, Daddy, Honey-Bear bit Hannah Montana." -- 4yo, after discovering the dog bit off her Hanna Montana doll's hand. #

    09:56 Hopping in the shower. #

    11:28 In church. #

    11:33 New Flickr upload: Camo BMW: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: Too many drive-bys I guess... tinyurl.com/9arre9 #

    15:36 Mapped 12/28/2008 Route (12.03 mi.) #

    15:40 Completed 12/28/2008. 1,503 (kcal) Distance 12.03 mi. Duration 02:04:35 #

    16:14 Watching the Transformers movie with my son. He's seen it about 500 times, I've never seen it. So he keep saying, "Watch this, dad!" #

    16:40 tinyurl.com/6pgepg #

    17:35 week, last week. Not last night. Last night it was chicken. #

    20:04 New post on my blog: Me, My Father, and The Ave: I need to tell you about my father. Ernest.. tinyurl.com/79yrqq #

    21:33 New Flickr upload: 12-28-2008 Splits: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: tinyurl.com/8j2ogr #

    21:46 That's it, I'm off to bed. Later. #

    22:34 New post on my blog: Long Run - 12 Miles: The past week I've been sick. I doubt it was the f.. tinyurl.com/877hxp #

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    Sunday, December 28, 2008

    Long Run - 12 Miles

    The past week I've been sick. I doubt it was the flu, I'm thinking it was more a cold than anything. Headache, phlegm draining into my throat, making it sore. As a result, my last gym workout was last Monday (seven days), and my last run was a week ago yesterday (eight days). Since I was feeling better, and marathon training starting next week, it was time.

    So I ran 12 miles. Why 12? I probably would have run 14 except thanks to not running yesterday, I had to run before church today. I didn't have near as much time, so I cut it short in order to have plenty of time to shower and get ready. It also worked because I wasn't tempted to overdue it, just getting over my cold.

    I kept my pace to about 10 minutes per mile, and walked a few times along the way. I walked the first quarter-mile as a warmup. I stopped for a minute or so at the midpoint to eat a new gel, chocolate flavored Powerbar Gel. What was interesting there is I figured all the flavors would have the same consistency, but no. It was a lot thicker, closer to the chocolate GU.



    Here are the splits.


    Mile 1: 11:01.08
    Mile 2: 9:04.39
    Mile 3: 9:12.17
    Mile 4: 9:45.19
    Mile 5: 10:17.05
    Mile 6: 10:00.67
    Mile 7: 14:37.70
    Mile 8: 9:48.22
    Mile 9: 9:49.96
    Mile 10: 9:46.69
    Mile 11: 10:51.06
    Mile 12: 10:05.37

    2:04:35, 10:21/mi, 1304 calories burned

    Me, My Father, and The Ave

    I need to tell you about my father.

    Ernest Wayne Chance was born May 3, 1935. In his youth, he was skinny by nature but anything but athletic. Other than bowling and water skiing, I don't think he did anything active. In his 30s, when I was born, his sedentary lifestyle had caught up with him and he had a nice, big belly.

    He wasn't a bad father, don't get me wrong. He just wasn't very active. There was a small burst during my early teens, when he and my mom decided to start playing tennis. This without any knowledge of the rules, of course, but we did have a lot of fun.

    Anyway, one of my dad's favorite activities was camping, and his absolute favorite place was the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Specifically, the Burlington Campground on the Avenue of the Giants, next to the Humboldt Redwoods Visitor Center. For most of my childhood we'd camp there once a year. He and my mom especially liked this campground because it was like a natural playground. In the 1800's it was a logging camp, which later got shut down. One of the methods they used for logging was they would use hatchets to make large notches. In the notches they'd put a wooden platform for the crews to stand on, then make another notch a bit higher up. By using this technique, they could get up a tree 15 to 20 feet up, then saw it off and let it fall. The stumps all remain, and the notches made for great climbing fodder for us kids.

    Being next to the visitor's center, there was always an evening campfire. There was also a Jr. Rangers program, which by doing various activities, we could earn prizes. One activity was gathering cigarette butts from the campground, and my father helped us win the prize for that one by saving his butts for a week or so before we went up there, hehe.

    Once grown, I started taking my family there on a semi-annual basis, camping at Burlington again. It's one of those strange places that never seems to age. Unlike most places you visit as a child, it's truly remained the same as I remember it. In the visits I've made as an adult, I've also done quite a bit of hiking. Grasshopper Peak was one of the first longer hikes I did, back before I'd lost much weight. I didn't make it to the peak because it was just too difficult at the time, and when I got back to the visitor center I found out that I had actually hiked 16 miles round trip.

    I still hike, of course, but most recently running's come to the forefront of my fitness activities. In the past, running has been a means to stay fit, but I really do believe that staying fit for me is now a means to continue running. Not much of a difference, perhaps, but it is to me.

    So with the natural progression of running, I started investigating marathons. I recalled on the first trip I made to bring my family to Humboldt, we were eating at a restaraunt and I used the restroom. On the wall, they had a poster sized print of runners with numbers pinned to their chests, running what was called The Ave. My immediate thought was that it must be quite the experience, running through the Avenue of the Giants, something I'd really only experienced by car. That's as far as the thought went, since I wasn't a runner at the time, but it did stay in the back of my mind.

    Once I started running, the natural progression of things led me to at very least contemplate a marathon, sort of as an unreachable goal that could be there at the end of a long journey. I did a Google search for "humboldt redwoods marathon" and found exactly that, the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon. I was doing my search last year, and the marathon was being held in October. I was doing a 3-miler with my pastor and commented that what I'd love to do would be the half marathon that upcoming October, with the full marathon another year later.

    As spring came, things changed as we made plans to climb Mt. Whitney. As time progressed, with all the Whitney training I ended up not being able to do long runs on the weekends because I was backpacking. I had to stop the training plan I had started about a month in. This was entirely acceptable, since Whitney was such an amazing place. I made a blog entry for the trip if you're interested in reading about it.

    After Whitney, my workouts started leaning towards running and that's really when my interest in it exploded. Not that my interest wasn't already there, but it really gelled during this time.

    One day I was researching marathons again, when I came to the realization that there are actually two marathons run on the Avenue of the Giants. The one in October was the one I had seen before, but there was another, called The Ave. That was a bigger marathon, but was run on a familiar date: May 3.

    That's right. The Ave Marathon is being run on May 3, 2009, what would be my father's 74th birthday (he died in 1989). So here's one of my father's favorite places on earth, now one of my own favorite places on earth. My life is steering towards running a marathon, of which one is being held in that place on my father's birthday.

    Most marathon training programs are 18 weeks long. I was already thinking The Ave would be perfect when last week I started doing the calculations and found out that next week is exactly eighteen weeks before May 3. I mean, really, can it be any more perfect?

    So that's that. Tomorrow I'll be registering for The Ave, and will run it in my father's memory, on his birthday, in his favorite place. The route goes right in front of the Burlington campground, where we'll be staying, once again. When I told my mother all of this, she was dumbstruck. Now all I need to do is muster the ability to run 26.2 miles. That's what training programs were invented for, right?

    Saturday, December 27, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    04:38 Wt: 165.6, RHR: 56, managed to dump some of the excess baggage, still up though. Mid 40s, @britishbulldog, it's 37 here. Easy! #

    04:39 I'll be doing at least 12 myself. Feeling surprisingly good. My wife got up and said, "My clock says 4:30, why are you up so early?" #

    07:32 Well crap! Fell back asleep, slept until 7:30 hehehehehehe #

    07:32 No biggie, it'll just be warmer for the run. #

    08:43 Finished up oatmeal and a banana, getting ready to head out. #

    08:48 Hah, it's only 1 degree warmer since 5am. 38 degrees. #

    08:55 RT @lambertman And I'm getting thirsty for a Diet Mtn Dew, which won't help a bit. -- He's one of us! :) #

    10:31 I HAVEN'T RUN YET! FIL came over to bring the dollhouse he & MIL bought for the girls. Had to stick around for a while as a result. #

    10:31 The goal now is to run after lunch. We'll see how successful. One thing about weekends though at least there's two days if something happens #

    10:58 @Graymalkin56 Well, you just revealed something important: if you did it once, you can do it again. Mulder & Scully could run with you! #

    12:26 @Greymalkin56 It really is a shame @visionary didn't get onto twitter. That would be a lot of fun. *snicker* #

    13:58 @SoloRunner Now you need to find uses for your Iron Gym that it was never designed for. Use it as a harness for the dog. MUSH! #

    14:01 @MrThirteen I find Flickr just as easy to use, you just email the picture. Subject is the title, the body is the description. #

    14:06 @SoloRunner that's great, decent price too, although I'd be more apt to buy the Perfect Pushup. In fact I NEED to buy it hehe. #

    14:06 Dangit wouldn't you know, the day I give @britishbulldog a hard time about being up early is the day I don't run. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! #

    14:22 Playing Mario Kart Wii with the kids. :) #

    15:07 @SoloRunner How do you do pushups & pullups while tweeting? #

    15:10 @SoloRunner Picture? :) #

    15:16 @SystemJinx She *could* be using a cellphone headset and that one service that translates phone conversations to tweets. :) #

    16:16 We should transfer the YAMM concept to twitter. ;) #

    16:57 Off to mom's house. #

    17:20 Alright guys, if I don't run tomorrow I have to turn in my runner card. #

    17:27 @SoloRunner You're doing Crossfit? So are you one of the girls in the video, doing 50 kipping pullups while pregnant? #

    17:41 Today's fatal mistake: lying back down for "an hour" after being wide awake @ 4:30. #

    17:49 When I was looking everywhere nobody had ab straps. Now that I belong to a gym and don't need them, Walmart has them! #

    18:00 New ugly-as-sin Diet Dew label. Pic forthcoming... they now call it "mtn dew". Marketing. #

    18:03 New Flickr upload: New Diet Dew Label: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: Ugly as sin! tinyurl.com/a2mnof #

    18:36 @evaporated You got to see a penis, what more do you want? #

    18:38 David Brenner new years in Sacramento! #

    19:09 @Graymalkin56 I knew Brenner was still alive but didn't know he was still performing. He's gotta be mid-60s by now. #

    19:13 72?!?!?!?! #

    19:13 @Graymalkin56 I guess now would be the time to see David Brenner, eh? #

    19:16 @Graymalkin56 Holy cow man, look at the guy: tinyurl.com/a787xx #

    19:16 Nobody can claim David Brenner had plastic surgery. Impressive he was impervious to that. #

    19:50 @britishbulldog Adding you now, although getting into the habit of putting my info into it is a trick. #

    19:59 @britishbulldog My problem is I already post workouts to many sites. Mapmyfitness.com, my blog, presidentschallenge.org, tivocommunity.com #

    20:02 Picked up some Clif Bar Minis at Walmart, 100 calories of complex carbs, great for weekday runs. I use standard Clif Bars for backpacking. #

    20:34 @SoloRunner My record is 5 pullups. Then I slacked on the gym workouts, so at the moment I'm at 1. #

    20:36 @SoloRunner Crossfit should have some training versions of pullups for you to do to get you stronger. Can you do kipping ones with your toy? #

    20:57 @SoloRunner I thought you were doing Crossfit! tinyurl.com/6pxhoq #

    20:58 I just told my wife about The Ave. And so it begins... www.theave.org/ #

    21:53 @MrThirteen after I finish watching Brothers & Sisters, sure #

    22:48 Ok, bedtime. Happy, @MrThirteen? ;-) #

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    Today's Tweets

    06:37 The Horror!!! Wt: 168.6, RHR: 56 #

    09:50 My Indian coworker is whispering on the phone in Hindi. Does he think I understand what he's saying? #

    11:31 Holy cow it must be meant to be. Researching the The Ave marathon May 3.. If I start training Monday it's exactly EIGHTEEN WEEKS. #

    16:00 Heading home. But first, now say it with me: Diet Dew! #

    16:15 Starting up the car/Drink some Dew, turning the key/45 minute drive #

    17:16 Oh boy, we get to go to Walmart! #

    17:54 Wow, they have a 20lb weight vest too. #

    18:34 Whoa, Walmart has ground bison. #

    19:57 Mmm, rib eye. Nothing else, just rib eye. As it should be. #

    20:29 Playing Operation with the kids. Man the game is different now. SFX, new pieces, a sampled buzzer. #

    20:31 The loud analog buzzer is gone, the samples aren't near as loud, nor does it make you jump. Boring! #

    21:06 Long run in the morning, first run since last Saturday. I'll be good, if I feel bad I'll make it short. Should be nice though. #

    23:03 Alright, 11pm. Off to bed. I won't get out the door until way after the sun gets up so it'll be a bit warmer. Nite all. #

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    Friday, December 26, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    06:58 Got woke up not by kids but by a 6:30am phone call from my wife's niece who has no concept of time zones. #

    07:01 Rather than letting the kids wake up on their own my wife is WAKIJG THEM UP. Bah humbug. #

    07:05 Wt: 165.6, RHR: 46 #

    07:57 What a mess! Now where are those batteries... #

    07:58 Santa (me) bought Hal Higdon's "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide". How did he know? #

    09:03 Yesterday the neighbor claimed to have spent $30k on Christmas. His 8yo daughter came over thsi morning and said she got a camcorder. #

    10:49 The universe is constantly changing, so nothing is accurate. Sort of like C14 dating is off by +/- 1 mil yrs hehehehehe #

    11:38 My mother-in-law opened a gift and didn't know what it was. My wife announced, "It's a vibrator." #

    11:48 Picking up my mom. #

    12:32 My mom is pigging out on fudge. I've eateb my share but I'm pigging on apple spears myself. #

    14:33 I've decided: fudge is the tool of Satan. #

    15:25 Taking my mom home. #

    16:39 Back @ our house. I must be getting "better", not feeling as under the weather but with chest congestion serting in. #

    16:40 Gregory is playing Transformers on the Wii #

    17:34 Playing Mario Kart Wii with the kids using the new steering wheels. The girls can't figure out the accelerator button. #

    18:36 Most popular gift the kids got: drums. #

    19:30 I'm so tired it's not even funny. Beating the kids to bed. Nite all. #

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    Thursday, December 25, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    06:26 Wt: 164.6, RHR: 51 #

    06:35 It's raining! And I'm running late. #

    06:47 Mangled tweet! #

    07:10 Tweet-driving, wishing I was still in bed. #

    07:57 I'm surprised how many people are at work today. Sucks, that means I'll have to work a full day. :) #

    07:58 I also left my gym bag at home so I wouldn't be tempted to work out today. I still don't feel all that great. #

    08:50 Captain Obvious is now a reporter. This just in, sports drinks that include protein are better! tinyurl.com/7yw3mv #

    09:07 Dell tells me the reason this computer won't run the PCIe x1 card I bought is that it "wasn't designed for gaming." Nice. #

    09:07 Said PC has a PCIe x16 slot and TWO PCIe x1 slots. #

    09:08 Said PC was purchased to run 6 monitors in order to display FREIGHT TRAFFIC. Yeah, that's gaming, mm-hmm. #

    09:32 Aha! Finally an answer from Dell, they say the bandwidth of these cards is too high, creating the incompatibility. #

    09:41 Hey cool, my boss is taking us to lunch. #

    09:41 Sushi again, likely. :) #

    11:12 I love how everyone is just scheming to get out of work early today. Meanwhile nothing is getting done and I'm fighting with computers. #

    11:44 Off to lunch. Ooh the girl gets to pick. #

    11:58 Sushi! What a surprise. I'll have chicken teriyaki. :) #

    16:33 Tonite my mom's going to accuse me of trying to starve myself. #

    18:53 Marlo Thomas is on Larry King, her face is like a Barbie (i.e., plastic) #

    19:00 Kids opening presents @ Grandma's house. #

    19:26 Hah! I told my mom no to pie. She pouted. Oh well. #

    19:34 My mom got me a Gillette Fusion "Phenom". What's phenom? It's the same as standard fusion! #

    20:19 My son says he wanted Obama to be elected because he's a famous guy. #

    21:43 Nobody says, "get off my lawn" like Clint Eastwood. #

    22:03 New post on my blog: Merry Christmas Eve!: Hey, guys. I'm still hanging in there, but still .. tinyurl.com/7bfyeg #

    22:29 Wrapping is all done, finishing up watching Fringe, then off to bed. #

    22:48 Nite all. May Santa bring you many presents. #

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    Wednesday, December 24, 2008

    Merry Christmas Eve!

    Hey, guys. I'm still hanging in there, but still not feeling well, and not going to the gym or running. I honestly didn't picture spending Christmas this way, last weekend I was picturing myself at the gym today and running tomorrow. The way I still feel, 3 days after my first symptoms, I'm not running tomorrow for my life.

    I am healthy overall though. My RHR was back to normal this morning, and at least I'm not SICK (i.e., not throwing up or anything, don't have a fever to the point of staying in bed).

    Today my boss took our department to lunch, and I actually said aloud that I would be (as opposed to thinking about) doing a marathon on May 3. It just sort of came out. I'm not financially committed yet, but it would appear that mentally I'm committed. Or should be committed.

    So that's where I'm at. Merry Christmas, everyone.

    Today's Tweets

    05:53 Wt: 164.2, RHR: 61 #

    07:49 My wife told me to go by REI on the way home and pick up a gift for myself from Santa. What should I buy? #

    07:49 Hey, I know, I'll get the $599 Garmin Oregon GPS! ;) #

    08:19 Two fax machines, side by side. The call comes in, "One of the faxes needs a cartridge." "Which one?" I ask. "I dunno." is the response. #

    08:28 No REI trip. My wife: "Remember I went shopping and thought I had money in the bank? I'm $200 overdrawn now." #

    08:32 Wow, Fry's Electronics veep embezzled $65M. D'oh! www.yahoo.com/s/1006253 #

    09:49 This time of year I always remember an old jingle: "Merry Christmas, Merry Merry Christmas, from your K-Mart Christmas store!" #

    09:55 "You ain't the Dukes of Hazzard!" tinyurl.com/6fo4su #

    11:13 This just bites. I moved two computers across the warehouse and now I feel like I'm gonna die. I don't think I'm running today. #

    11:25 Woo! Digg is now tweeting. blog.digg.com/?p=463 #

    13:08 Well buh-low me down, my wife got a $1000 bonus for Christmas. I got a rock. #

    14:39 A little NYC for ya: tinyurl.com/63msws #

    20:29 Finished Christmas shopping! Got some Nike tights for myself to boot. From Santa, you see. #

    21:42 I can't stand it anymore, I need to go to bed. No getting up at 2:30am! My tiredness is ridiculous. Nite all. #

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    Tuesday, December 23, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    05:50 Wt: 165.2, RHR: 68. Weight up, RHR up, and I feel like crap. Head hurts, throat full of phlegm. Ugh. #

    06:11 36 degrees here. So much for the cloud cover warming things up. #

    06:44 Newspaper says ppl are getting rid of pets due to the economy. Think my wife will let me get rid of the cat? #

    08:15 RIP Abit. :( #

    08:26 I like hores. img385.imageshack.us/img385/8918/horespq7.jpg #

    08:27 Hmm that didn't get automatically converted to tinyurl, weird. #

    08:34 The London Telegraph has a story about Lance Armstrong's tweets! tinyurl.com/7pewvj #

    08:54 Hey, I just realized I don't feel as crappy as I did this morning. Thank goodness. I still feel crappy though, it's just more manageable. #

    09:37 Explaining 8/7c to my Indian coworker. *snicker* #

    09:44 Sweet! Michael Chiklis is developing a new series based on Ponzi Schemes! Chiklis is the MAN. #

    11:21 Partly cloudy, 47 degrees... wonder if I should swap running & gym days, since tomorrow's supposed to rain? #

    13:40 Off to the gym, a bit later than usual. #

    14:35 Finished @ the gym, heading back to work for PROTEIN! #

    15:41 Dangit, couldn't resist the deer-poop sized toffee. Had two pieces. #

    16:26 MapMyFitness.com: Completed 12/22/2008. 216 (kcal). 00:30:52 #

    17:00 Ritualistic Monday drive home: Diet Dew, protein bar, & Jillian Michaels. Hope TBL's Michelle is on! #

    18:41 My 3yo is playing her handheld videogame. With her toes. She's not doing too badly, either. #

    18:42 Meanwhile the headache's returned. Ibuprofen, down the hatch! Come on, baby. #

    18:50 Jillian Michaels podcast report... no TBL guests, and no mention at ALL of TBL. Grrrr. #

    20:09 It's a trick. Get an axe. #

    20:33 New post on my blog: Weight Workout: This morning was awful. My weight was up, at 165.4, and.. tinyurl.com/a5rsga #

    21:33 I'm off to bed. Let's just hope tomorrow I feel better. #

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    Monday, December 22, 2008

    Weight Workout

    This morning was awful. My weight was up, at 165.4, and my resting heart rate was wayyy up, at 68. My throat spent the night filling with gunk, and my head was throbbing as I got up. The temperature outside was 36, but instead of the dew freezing on the windshield, it was the rain that froze, making it hard to scrape.

    But you know what? The ibuprofen actually worked and I was functional for most of the day. The weather forecast said rain for the rest of the week, and I almost ran today. Instead, I went to the gym, and now the forecast's been updated: mostly cloudy tomorrow! That makes me happy.

    So here's the gym report:

    Warmup, w/45lb bar
    * Overhead Squat
    * Squat
    * Good Morning
    * Barbell Lunge
    * Romanian Deadlift
    * Bent-over Row

    Workout
    * Incline Dumbell Press, 4x6x40lbs
    * Neutral Grip Dumbell Row, 5x6x40lbs
    * Scaption, 5x6x20lbs
    * Incline Lower Trap Raise, 8x6x15lbs

    31 minutes, 216 calories burned

    More reps, higher weights for 3/4 of the workout, and I didn't start feeling sick again until I was on the way home from work. So tonight it's rest, rest, rest, for tomorrow we run!

    Today's Tweets

    08:41 Wt: 164.0, RHR: 56 #

    09:10 It's raining! Forecast says rain through at least Thursday. "AM Rain" on Tuesday, so I might get away with a dry run in the afternoon. #

    11:37 In church for our Christmas service. #

    13:03 Rain's coming down good now, but I don't mind. No running today. :) Now lunch is a different story. #

    13:24 Time to pick up my wife & kids at the museum. #

    13:36 The museum has a 25' tree and it makes me wonder how long it will take to be replaced. That's not a farm tree! #

    14:03 New Flickr upload: Big, big tree: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: This doesn't look like a tre.. tinyurl.com/84bw9x #

    16:04 Settling down to watch A Christmas Story with the family. Bumpassssssssssss! #

    16:22 Living in CA, my son just didn't "get" the tongue stuck on the pole scene. Maybe he should learn firsthand? #

    16:25 Horrible transfer on A Christmas Story. Aside from it being fullscreen (grr), there's film specks throughout. My wife paid 10 bucks. #

    16:30 "It's a major award!" #

    16:32 "And I know just the place for it: right in the middle of our front room window!" tinyurl.com/65xq89 #

    16:39 No one, no one, no one ever is to blame. Take that, Alanis. #

    16:58 6 years old and my son can only make it through 45 minutes of A Christmas Story? Whose kid is he? #

    19:03 New Flickr upload: Big-E Sails Again: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: Found the Enterprise D! tinyurl.com/9xsso7 #

    19:13 My 4yo just announced that the cat is a perfect singer, just like she is. #

    20:31 So earlier today I was talking to my pastor about running, and my mother overheard. She said to him, "What did you do with my son?" #

    21:33 New post on my blog: Virtual Run Across America: With today being Sunday, and having a knot .. tinyurl.com/8m9lco #

    21:34 Alright, I gotta go to bed. My throat is telling me I might be sick tomorrow morning. I certainly hope not. #

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    Sunday, December 21, 2008

    Virtual Run Across America

    With today being Sunday, and having a knot on my head from smacking into the car trunk this morning, I don't have anything of my own to share. That being the case, I do have something that I've been trying to fit into the blog for a while.

    The Virtual Run Across America is something that was thunk up by a blogger named NikeMom, and it goes something like this:

    Run. Really hard, isn't it? Run whatever distance you would normally run, be it 1 mile or 20. The distance you run will be mapped onto a map of the United States, and through all participants' runs, we'll make it across the country!

    There are a couple of cool things about the venture. First, if you're already running a good amount, it will add to the whole quickly. If you aren't, it's a good motivator to run more. For everyone involved, it'll be a whole lot of fun.

    It all starts on January 1, 2009. So head on over to Virtual Run Across America and check it out. "See" you there!

    Today's Tweets

    07:33 Wt: 162.4, RHR: 58 #

    07:35 Wow, getting out of bed at 7:30 is a long way from being out the door at 7. ;) #

    07:44 One upside to sleeping in, I suppose: the sun's up and it's a blistering 33 degrees. #

    07:46 Diggowah: 3yo-speak for cereal. #

    07:48 Alright, fixing some oatmeal so I'm fuelled up. #

    08:15 It's supposed to rain all week. Clear today though. #

    11:50 Back from my long run, and I gotta say, something's gotta be done about this lazy streak I've been developing. I need more midweek runs. #

    11:52 Putting the long run on MapMyRun... #

    11:56 Guys: do you wear shorts over your tights when you run, or do you go for the slick-butt look? #

    12:03 Mapped 12/20/2008 Route (13.28 mi.) #

    12:08 Completed 12/20/2008. 1,504 (kcal) Distance 13.28 mi. Duration 02:20:07 #

    12:13 Mapped 12/20/2008 Route (13.28 mi.) #

    14:25 Taking my son to Red Robin. #

    14:27 I'll regret it I'm sure, but I did a long run today. I'm gettin' a burger. #

    18:35 Back from going out and about with my son, we now have an honest to goodness real Christmas tree. #

    19:31 I just heard Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog". Amazing tune. #

    22:03 New Flickr upload: 12-20-2008 Splits: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: tinyurl.com/8x9u7a #

    22:33 New post on my blog: Long Run - 13.27 miles: What state do I live in again? California? It .. tinyurl.com/8htf4n #

    22:52 Ok, time for bed. Tomorrow we put up the Christmas tree. Yay! #

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    Saturday, December 20, 2008

    Long Run - 13.27 miles

    What state do I live in again? California?

    It was cold this morning! I had originally planned to be up at 6am, then it became 7am, but all that means that you have to get up early. So what time did my lazy butt fall out of bed?

    7:30. I put off this morning's long run with gusto. Have to eat some oatmeal? No problem, I'm your man! Banana, too? Oh, well, I have to take my time with it, let it digest. And don't forget, it takes at least a half hour to feel the effects, so we have to wait.

    So before I knew it, I was tweeting at 8:45, telling myself that I'd get out at 9am. The frozen dew had melted off, so away I went! As I mentioned on Twitter, the sun was out and it was a blistering 38 degrees. Out we go.

    I came prepared, too. I had my tights, shorts (wouldn't want people to see my slick-butt), microfleece hat, and gloves. Three miles in, I had to ditch the gloves. I think I need new ones, the backpacking gloves just aren't appropriate for Northern California, Sacramento Valley running.

    Overall the run went well, but on the way back I ended up walking a short distance about once per mile. It didn't seem like much, but in the end it added up, bigtime. In the last mile or two I wanted to ditch the hat, but there just wasn't anywhere comfortable to put it. I had the gloves hanging from my shorts, but the hat was much heavier and just wasn't comfortable.

    Much as I don't want to share them, here are the splits.

    Mile 1: 9:02.08
    Mile 2: 8:57.99
    Mile 3: 9:55.67
    Mile 4: 9:41.39
    Mile 5: 9:45.91
    Mile 6: 9:14.81
    Mile 7: 14:13.22 (gel stop)
    Mile 8: 9:38.93
    Mile 9: 10:05.27
    Mile 10: 10:32.50
    Mile 11: 10:20.02
    Mile 12: 11:43.42
    Mile 13: 13:55.28
    .27 Mi: 2:59.76



    Here's something funny that happened, on the way back over the 5th Street Bridge, I ran past a teenager who was doing the slowwwww walk. You know the one, I think I'll call it "Walmart speed". It's the speed people walk through the most depressing place on earth, then complain how everyone there walk too slow.

    Anyway, the teenager. As I approached, she said something to me that I couldn't hear, so I stopped and took my hat off. The exchange went something like this:

    "You're running across this bridge, but it's so boring I'll never get across!"
    "You know, the faster you move, the faster you get across."
    "No, no, no, no!"

    And that was about it.

    So, where did things go wrong this morning? I suppose I can start with the gloves & hat, but I'm just thinking more that I need to crack down and get my midweek mileage in. When my long runs were going better, I'd done 8 of them at 10 miles or better, 6 of which were 13-14. My average mileage was 20-25 miles, but the last two weeks were more like 15.

    So what do we get in the weather forecast for the next week? Rain. It's supposed to be a big storm, the biggest one we've had since last year. So, do I try the midweek runs in the rain, or do I jump on the treadmill? Either way, I just need to get the mileage in.



    Anyway, while it took 2:20, I'm ok with it and don't consider it a total loss. Besides, I burned 1502 calories, and got away with eating a big Red Robin burger for lunch. I think so, anyway.

    Today's Tweets

    01:03 New post on my blog: Today's Tweets: 05:49 Wt: 162.2, RHR: 58 # 06:47 Is it morning? I hadn'.. tinyurl.com/3fhj63 #

    01:11 *yawn* Now that I finished up 3 episodes of Babylon 5 and got my blog entry up, I'm off to bed. Weight down tomorrow? We shall see-- #

    01:33 New post on my blog: : Today was interesting, to say the least. When I got up this morning, .. tinyurl.com/4jz2g4 #

    06:33 Wt: 163, RHR: 54 #

    07:02 Work potluck/gift exchange today! #

    08:58 Found an old workout log where I lifted low weight for 10 minutes and wondered how the heck you expand it to an hour. *chuckle* #

    09:15 That's what she said. #

    09:36 Taking bets on how many times my boss comes to check on my move progress. He's been here 20 minutes and has come in twice. #

    10:45 I think it's time to go to the gym, the smell of potluck food is permeating the walls. #

    10:52 Peanuts took care of that one. Maybe. #

    11:44 Looks like I won't be working out until after lunch. Hey, maybe I'll vomit on the dip station! #

    12:18 Great, so now I have to let that food settle... I was GOOD though, no dessert. Salad with turkey, kielbasa, and swiss. An apple after. #

    12:56 Off to the gym. I promise, I won't stare at it. #

    14:43 Indian guy's kids are experiencing Christmas for the first time and wants to know about the rituals. Should I make up something? Hmm. #

    17:03 New Flickr upload: Babylon 5: Faith Manages: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: tinyurl.com/4l6lpz #

    17:05 Alright, time to head out. To the Diet Dew. #

    19:11 Wondering if I should do my long run at 6 or 7 in the morning. #

    22:03 New post on my blog: Weight Workout & 2009 Race Schedule (tentative): It was back to the gym.. tinyurl.com/9tuyvs #

    22:04 MapMyFitness.com: Completed 12/19/2008. 132 (kcal). 00:33:29 #

    22:06 Alright, I'm off to bed. Long run tomorrow, we'll see how lazy I am. ;) I'll likely be out the door at 7. #

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    Friday, December 19, 2008

    Weight Workout & 2009 Race Schedule (tentative)

    It was back to the gym today. Not the most calories burned, but anaerobic exercise is always that way. On weight training days, typically I burn more calories during the aerobic warmup, but today's warmup was anything but. Still, my muscles certainly got a pounding.

    Warmup, w/45lb bar, 3 circuits
    * Overhead Squat
    * Squat
    * Good Morning
    * Barbell Lunge
    * Romanian Deadlift
    * Bent-over Row

    Workout
    * Dynamic Pushup, 3x6
    * Bench Press, 1x105lbs, 8x95lbs, 6x95lbs
    * Chin-Up, 1 set of 2, 2 sets of 1
    * Combo Raise, 3x10x10lbs
    * Horizontal Lateral Raise, 3x10x15lbs

    33 minutes, 132 calories burned

    Today was also my work potluck & gift exchange. I did extremely well, making up a salad with tomatoes, turkey breast, and swiss & american cheeses. Then at the end of the day I screwed up and had a large cookie. I hate when I do that! That is, I hate when I do that AFTER I do that, while I'm doing that, I want to be doing that a whole lot. Otherwise I wouldn't do it, right? Mm-hmm, sure.

    Then tonight while watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles, I got a bit crazy and mapped out a tentative 2009 race schedule. Three of them are repeats of races I ran last year. You know, it's interesting, last year I didn't plan it out ahead of time and still ran 4 races in addition to the hiking & backpacking!

    Ah yes, that. As I said, this is tentative. In most cases for the spring & summer races, I'll be waiting until the last minute to sign up for them, since there's other activities to consider. The nice thing, of course, is that with the training involved with running vs. hiking, most of my hiking will be after May anyway, so the change in training shouldn't affect marathon training (should I go that route). SO, here's the tentative schedule.

    1-17-09 Frost or Fog 5k, Chico, CA
    3-15-09 Shamrock'n Half Marathon, West Sacramento, CA (I'm registered for this one)
    4-19-09 Sacramento Zoo Zoom, Sacramento, CA (ran last year)
    4-25-09 Run Drugs Out of Town Run, Yuba City, CA (redundant name, ran last year)
    5-3-09 The Ave Marathon, Avenue of the Giants, Weott, CA (very tentative)
    6-20-09 Shriner's 8k, Sacramento, CA (ran last year)
    8-1-09 Squaw Valley 5k, Squaw Valley, CA (Lake Tahoe)

    There could be races after August as well, such as a repeat of the Turkey Trot I did this year. Still not 100% decided on The Ave yet, but in all likelihood it'll happen.

    I'm also not sure yet about Christmas Day this year. It's my normal run day, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit it in during the day. We'll see how it goes.

    Today's Tweets

    05:49 Wt: 162.2, RHR: 58 #

    06:47 Is it morning? I hadn't noticed, I was too busy scraping ice. #

    08:09 User, on Thunderbird: "It doesn't say save, it says remember!!!" #

    08:52 Runners: Would it be too much to do a half marathon in March and a full in May, or would it be better to wait until October for the full? #

    09:15 I do my long runs on Saturdays, usually 12-14 miles. I see people doing them as short as 8 and as long as 20, why the variance? #

    09:55 So then, Shamrock'n Half in May, The Ave (Avenue of the Giants) in May. Hmm. #

    09:55 Then CIM in December? Hehehe. #

    10:20 Speak of the devil, a box just arrived from B&H Photo. I tried to get this girl Miranda to give it to me but she refused. 200mm macro... #

    11:23 Probably not a big deal to some of you, but today's the coldest temp I will have ever run, 38 degrees. #

    14:41 What the heck? And I thought I had a blister! How'd THIS happen? tinyurl.com/3sxvu3 #

    14:50 New Flickr upload: 12-18-2008 Splits: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: Look what the wind did t.. tinyurl.com/4zrrns #

    14:51 New Flickr upload: No wonder my toe hurts!: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: I thought I got a .. tinyurl.com/3sxvu3 #

    16:42 Reminder, if you needed it: 1 week until Christmas. #

    16:43 Mapped 12/18/2008 Route (6.21 mi.) #

    16:45 Completed 12/18/2008. 692 (kcal) Distance 6.21 mi. Duration 00:58:43 #

    16:55 I'm off. See you after the Dew. ;) #

    17:11 Mmm, Diet Dew. Fact: Cans of Mountain Dew were what kept John McCain alive in the Hanoi Hilton. #

    20:07 My 3yo was throwing a fit because she thought we weren't buying what she wants: lettuce. #

    23:38 Watching Babylon 5. Almost done with S4! #

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    Today was interesting, to say the least. When I got up this morning, it was extremely cold, colder than yesterday. Once the sun came up though, it wasn't too bad.

    I thought I'd be able to run around noon, but instead ended up waiting until about 1:30. The upside here is the temperature had risen to a whopping 44 degrees, which I realize was higher than the 38 I had expected to run in, but still.

    Once out there, the wind was as bad as it was yesterday. I had an excuse not to run yesterday, because it was a gym day, but today? No excuses. I wore tights and a compression shirt along with shorts and a regular technical shirt over, which took care of the chill, but there was just no escaping the wind. So, no records today.



    Just looking at the splits, you can tell where the wind made me cry like a little schoolgirl. My triumph today was the fact that I got out there and did it.



    As I was getting to the end of the run, I noticed the big toe on my right foot felt like I had a hotspot, possibly a blister. That wouldn't be he end of the world, it's happened before, just a bit annoying. When I got my shoe off, there was nothing wrong with my toe. I reached my hand into the shoe, and found the problem. I immediately pulled out the Superfeet insole, and this is what it looked like:



    The toe of the insole had been folded completely underneath itself. What I was feeling in my toe was actually the dropoff from the front of the stinkin' thing. I must have been running with the thing like this for a while, because I haven't had the insole out of my shoe for at least a few weeks. I'm lucky nothing too bad happened to my toes!

    Another thing I did today was pose a question on Twitter: would it be too much for me to do a half marathon in March, and then a full marathon in May? Everyone answered "yes", but I'm still debating on it. I'm already signed up for the Shamrock'n Half in March, so that's a definite.

    Originally the idea was to do the Humboldt Redwoods half marathon this past October, and then spend the next year training to then do the full marathon the following year, but with all the training I did for Mt. Whitney, it meant I was hiking & backpacking on weekends instead of long runs. I just didn't feel I was doing the right kind of training for the job.

    When the date arrived, I was doing a long run and said to myself, I think I can make the distance, and went for it. While I wasn't a speed demon, I went ahead and did it, and finished in 2:30. The following Saturday, I did it in like 2:15, then proceeded to do the same mileage and then some for the next 5 or 6 Saturdays in a row.

    My point is that I'm definitely ready for an official half. The full marathon is a possibility, but I'm still nervous about it. Yet, when I think about it, I don't think I'll ever "feel" ready for it and feel like I should just take the plunge with it.

    So how about it? You have access to my training logs here and on MapMyFitness.com. Up until the last week or two, I've been averaging 28 to 30 miles per week. The longest I've ever run is 14 miles, but I'll also have 3 months of training before the half, and 5 months total before the full.

    I await your opinions.

    Thursday, December 18, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    06:11 Wt: 162.4, RHR: 58 #

    06:12 Ah, the magic of protein days. -5.4lbs, 2 days. #

    11:21 New post on my blog: Early Christmas Present: Hello, everyone. Due to being extremely busy, .. tinyurl.com/3pzsto #

    11:21 New post on my blog: What happened on Saturday? (or Long Run Gone Bad): Hey boys & girls. Ti.. tinyurl.com/3vp4yv #

    12:39 Yaaaaaaaa! Too windy to run outside. I'll go to the gym instead. It's gym day anyway. #

    13:23 I'm off to lift less than anyone at the gym. Wish me luck. #

    14:28 Done with the gym and wouldn't you know, the wind is nil & it actually feels WARM. Oh well. #

    14:39 Aha, this side of the freeway is chilly wind. So there you go. #

    17:32 Well. My boss pulled me into a 1-on-1 when I normally would be going home, and kept me an hour. Yay, I'll get home around 7:15pm! #

    19:58 It's 58 degrees in the house. A 3yo girl is throwing a fit because she doesn't want pants. #

    20:17 6yo just told me "kin" means "family". Good tidings we bring, to you and your... kin. See, dad? Kin! #

    21:14 MapMyFitness.com: Completed 12/17/2008. 283 (kcal). 00:42:11 #

    21:44 Time for this lazy, disorganized moron to go to sleep. Nite. #

    21:50 New post on my blog: Weight Workout: Yesterday I wasn't able to run, so today I figured what.. tinyurl.com/4swyhd #

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    Wednesday, December 17, 2008

    Weight Workout

    Yesterday I wasn't able to run, so today I figured what the heck, I'll run today instead.

    The wind thought otherwise. When I stepped out the door, not only was it windy, but the wind chill made it easily 10 degrees lower. So off to the gym I went!

    Warmup, 30 secs each, 3 sets
    * Jumping Jacks
    * Split Jacks
    * Squats
    * Lunges
    * Mountain Climbers

    Workout
    * High Step-Up, 3x10x70lbs (2 35lb dumbbells)
    * Romanian Deadlift, 3x10x85lbs
    * Offset Incline DB Curl, 3x10x15lbs
    * Incline Lower Trap Raise, 3x10x15lbs

    42 minutes, 283 calories burned

    But then as I stepped outside afterwards, it was downright WARM outside. And I could have run! I drove back over the freeway and stopped off for a drink. On this side, the wind was still as strong, and the wind was still chilly.

    It made for a strange afternoon.

    At least I was able to go. Lately work has been so hectic and stressful that getting away to work out or run has taken quite a bit of effort. Tomorrow's supposed to be a run, but I'm not enitrely sure I'll be able to. I'll have to sneak away...

    Early Christmas Present

    Hello, everyone. Due to being extremely busy, I wasn't able to run yesterday (boooo!). I was, however, able to upload something for everyone.

    If you recall the blog entry from December 1, 2008, I was part of the choir for Handel's Messiah on November 30.



    With it being the 70th anniversary of performing Messiah in my area and all, it was videotaped.

    So here's your early Christmas present: the 70th Anniversary Handel's Messiah from Yuba City, CA. Due to it's length (an hour and a half), I uploaded it to Google Video rather than Youtube. My apologies for the quality, Google Video degraded it a LOT. I'd split it up into 10-minute segments, but I wouldn't be done until after Christmas. I'm in the bass section, in the upper-left portion of the choir.

    Feel free to share it with everyone interested.

    Today's Tweets

    05:30 Wt: 164.2, RHR: 53 #

    05:48 I swear, protein days work like magic. 3lbs down from yesterday. #

    06:42 No friggin Diet Dew at AM/PM. Heading off to work in a tiff, listening to last 30 mins of Jillian Michaels. #

    07:20 About to exit onto 50. Done w/Jillian's show. #

    07:23 TBL S5 at home winner Bernie finished Chicago Marathon 4:15! #

    07:26 TBL S5 contestants Bernie & Brittany also ran a half marathon last Saturday. #

    10:09 An hour and 23 minutes conferenced between AT&T and the remote site, and STILL no Internet. #

    11:12 Still on the conference with AT&T. 2 1/2 hours now. #

    14:42 "Right click the desktop." "What's the desktop?" "Where your f**king icons are!" I wonder why he got mad? #

    15:56 Finally have the remote site up and running. Limping along, mind you, but they can at least access our website. #

    16:45 While I didn't run a marathon today, I had a marathon conference call. Does that count? #

    16:46 Alright, I'm heading out. Off to get some Diet Dew, then drive home. I was Dew-deprived today, so it's about time. #

    17:00 I'm tired of people complaining about how cold it is at 40 degrees. #

    18:31 Whoopsie, forgot my son's Christmas Program! Luckily it's 5 minutes away. :) #

    18:50 New Flickr upload: Gregory's Class: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: Gregory's class sings Rudo.. tinyurl.com/557jsv #

    19:25 Gotta pee. #

    19:42 I wonder if I could tweet & pee simultaneously? #

    20:15 About to watch The Biggest Loser Finale. Vicky better not win. Ugh. #

    20:22 Geez, Bernie lost more weight after the show ended last year. #

    20:29 Whoops, Heba almost wiped out onstage, hehe. #

    20:34 "Oh, please, please, pick my wife!" "Please, please, vote for me!" America votes for Ed. #

    20:49 "You were on a reality show and you won 25 years of life." #

    21:05 A few months ago it didn't seem like this year's numbers would be this big. #

    21:12 Supposed to be 27 degrees tonight, I just let in the dog. The golden retriever who really isn't an inside dog. Oh, boy. #

    21:20 neither/nor. Oops. #

    21:32 "Fierce competitor that wouldn't let anything stand in her way?" #

    21:33 Miss Piggy almost fell, whoops. #

    21:37 Crap, I'm all caught up. Now I have to sit through commercials. #

    21:40 $3M in Jello? #

    21:41 Haw. "Guess what else is gonna hurt? MY FOOT IN YOUR ...!" #

    21:52 Vicky: ahhhh, the irony. #

    21:52 OK, Michelle, show us what you got. Time to be the 2nd female winner. #

    21:54 Allison loves cutting to commercial too much. She revels in it. #

    21:59 122 days at home, they finally said how long it was between their last weigh-in and tonight. BTW, their weigh-in was actually Saturday. #

    21:59 WOOOOOOOOOO! #

    22:00 Not only two women, two seasons in a row, but two black team female members two seasons in a row. #

    22:21 Well, I lied. No stairclimber tonight. I'm going to bed. Nite all. #

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    Tuesday, December 16, 2008

    Today's Tweets

    05:38 +4 lb weekend, kids. Wt: 167.4, RHR: 55. Time to get busy. #

    08:58 Spam of the day: "Life with a small tool is pathetic and miserable." True, so true. #

    09:02 Someone tell AT&T to stop hanging up when I press 1 for "small T1 circuits"! #

    12:44 Holy cow, Stargate SG-1: Complete Series, $99.99 Gold Box at Amazon. Wish I had the cash! #

    14:06 Come, Robin... to the Batgym! #

    15:11 Workout's over, back to work. #

    15:48 Greetings fellow Tivotwitterers! #

    15:48 Twitto? Twittivo? Tivotweets? Tweeto? #

    15:48 Tivotwurrito! #

    15:58 MapMyFitness.com: Completed 12/15/2008. 204 (kcal). 00:39:18 #

    16:20 New post on my blog: Weight Workout: Geez. I started to type "I can't believe", but I can be.. tinyurl.com/6x2m3u #

    16:40 Screw you guys, I'm going home. #

    17:01 Grabbing some Diet Dew for the drive home. #

    17:04 Driving home, listening to Jillian Michaels' podcast. Biggest Loser finale tomorrow! #

    22:08 "There are several ways to kill a zombie, but the most satisfying one is to stab it in the brain with a wooden stick." --Dwight Schrute #

    22:56 Oh yeahh, I'm registered for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon on March 15! tinyurl.com/65j4o5 #

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    Monday, December 15, 2008

    Weight Workout

    Geez. I started to type "I can't believe", but I can believe it. I gained 4 pounds this weekend, and that's on top of the 3 pounds I was already up. So this morning I was 167.4. It shouldn't come as any surprise, I ate like a pig this weekend. Not only did I eat too much, but too much bad stuff as well.

    It was fun though. So now it's back on track, both in the name of health, and the fact that Christmas is coming! I don't plan on going crazy on Christmas Day though.

    Anyway, today was my first day back to the gym after our little Monterey excursion. We're also now into regular workouts, as opposed to prep work, so things have changed a bit. Here we go.

    Warmup, w/45lb bar
    * Overhead Squat
    * Squat
    * Good Morning
    * Barbell Lunge
    * Romanian Deadlift
    * Bent-over Row

    Workout, sets to failure
    * Incline Dumbell Press, 6x5x35lbs
    * Neutral Grip Dumbell Row, 6x5x35lbs
    * Scaption, 8x5x20lbs
    * Incline Lower Trap Raise, 12x5x15lbs

    40 minutes, 204 calories burned.

    What's changed is the number of exercises (4 instead of 6-8), and number of sets (I do sets until I can't do any more).

    Running tomorrow.

    Today's Tweets

    05:20 RHR: 50 #

    08:50 New post on my blog: Long Run 12-13-08: 12 miles, Monterey, CA: This weekend was my company'.. tinyurl.com/5bokxj #

    10:27 Shopping some before the long drive home. #

    11:41 $6 for a seashell? Ouch! #

    12:19 New Flickr upload: Village Mermen: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: These aren't the droids you.. tinyurl.com/6pmj34 #

    14:57 Nice, Shell doesn't do cashback. #

    16:05 First fog, now rain. Snow in the sierras tho. #

    16:20 New video uploaded: Running Vlog #4: Monterey Long Run 12-13-08: Long run I did the morning o.. tinyurl.com/5cwqx4 #

    16:45 Almost home, yay! #

    17:41 Picking up the kids, but do we get to come home? NO, it's Wal-Mart time. Wooooo. #

    19:05 Just home after leaving the heat off for 3 days, it's 44 degrees inside! Yikes! #

    20:38 No, I didn't post my vlog while driving. Heh. #

    21:49 New Flickr upload: Vonka Tinglerz: Gregoriopolis posted a photo: You may 'av the Vonka... bu.. tinyurl.com/5h2c4n #

    22:44 That's it, I quit. Dreading the morning weigh-in when I see the damage the weekend did. *gulp* #

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    Sunday, December 14, 2008

    Long Run 12-13-08: 12 miles, Monterey, CA

    This weekend was my company's Christmas party. It happens every year, and while we used to have it in Reno, the past two years it's been in Monterey. This location is a lot better, since I don't gamble, and like it or not, Reno's still somewhat a nasty place.

    Last year, I used the gym at the hotel and ran on their treadmill. The gym had a large window that you could see out of, and I saw all sorts of people biking, jogging, exercising, while I was inside. At the dinner that night, someone asked me why I hadn't run outside. My reason was that I didn't want to get lost, but he pointed out that the bike trail made that virtually impossible.

    So this year, I was looking forwad to running outside. Am I glad I ever did! On the way out, I caught the wife of one of our sales guys jogging back in, and we complained to each other about the cold, which really wasn't all that bad, especially with my tights.

    Running to the end of Cannery Row was only the beginning. At a certain point the paved trail ended and small oceanside trails took over. Little windy trails that went alongside the beaches, each one short, but close together. Rain was threatening, but with the positioning of the clouds, at one point I was running right in the middle of a double rainbow.

    With the ocean, the rainbow, the air, I couldn't just run for pace. I had to drink it all in! I definitely took my time, and stopped plenty of times. There were lots of runners out there, all friendly and enjoying themselves.

    At one point there was no trails and road left to run, so I ended up running perpendicular to the ocean, but wanted to get back towards it at the first opportunity. I found a small trail that went behind a motel, so I took it to see where it led. I came out on a small golf course, the end of which was the entrance to 17 Mile Drive (the kiosk where they charge for driving through, a strange practice indeed).

    Not knowing the geography of the place, and not wanting to run on a highway, I just went the opposite direction on 17 Mile Drive. It was one huge hill, so for a change I got some hill running in, and at the end of that hill was a sign that said "lighthouse", pointing to the left. I figured that was as good a place as any to stop and eat a Hammer Gel.

    After eating the gel, I followed the road towards the ocean. This was at the 8-mile point, and my original idea was to turn around and go the direction I came to make 16 miles, but when I got to the ocean again, it was obvious I'd been here before. I asekd someone how far it was to Monterey, and they responded that it was only two miles! So obviously I had looped.

    As I passed Cannery Row again, I also passed a large group of people from work, who cheered. That was kind of neat.

    When I got back, it was 12 miles total. Not what I had planned, but still respectable. As I got into the elevator at the hotel, someone from work and his wife were there, and he asked if I had just run. I gave him some of the details, and his wife shook her head, "TWELVE MILES?!?!?!"

    Finally, I went upstairs to clean up, then my wife and I had breakfast, where I ate too much. That's been the theme of this weekend, so hopefully my run will offset it at least a little bit. We've had a great time.

    Here are the splits. I think that if I hadn't stopped so much I might have maintained a 9 min mile or less the entire way.


    On Google Earth, you can see where I looped, but it was anything but obvious at the time.


    And, of course, the route on MapMyFitness.com.


    I also saw a couple of interesting things. For example, did you know the Borg have a hotel now? Sleep is futile, apparently.


    This statue was in a park and totally reminded me of Arrested Development, where there was a statue of a kid holding a severed hand. :)


    In the end, it was probably my favorite run yet. It was simply incredible being able to run alongside the ocean. I can't wait to do it again next year.