Happy 1 Year Anniversary! I've been at it for a full year and I'm still committed!

I started my journey to "get strong" after 40 one year ago.  At this time last year I weighed 260 pounds.  I was achy and sluggish.  Running - even on a treadmill - for any period of time was hard.  One year later and I've changed a lot!

I'm happy to report that over the past year I've lost about 55 pounds, I've run a half marathon and a whole bunch of shorter races, running 3 miles is an easy distance for me now, and I feel great!  It sounds so cliche I know, but gosh I wish I had done this years ago!

The best part of this journey, however, isn't about where I've been and what I've achieved so far.  Nope.  The best part is that I'm still excited and I'm still trying to reach new heights in my personal fitness quest.  I'm not ready to rest on my past accomplishments when I know I've got a lot more I can do!

Setting goals has been one of the keys to my success.  My second year of "getting strong" then will necessarily have a bunch of them to keep me fired up.

But before I share any of the goals I want to make one thing very clear.  All of this effort is about more than just a vanity trip.  Seriously, I'm not deluded enough to think that running an 11 minute mile is impressive in the grand scheme of things.  I'm doing all of this because (1) I want what ever time I have left on Earth to be energized and active, (2) I want to teach my kids to be fit by living that lifestyle, and (3) a healthy body is an integral aspect of being a spiritually whole person.

Okay, so now we move on to the goals!  Goal # 1 is to run 3 half marathons in 2011!  The first half marathon I've signed myself up for is on May 15th, the second one is on July 23rd and the third one is on September 11th.

Running 13.1 miles last November was hard, but it was also invigorating!  It was a distance that really pushed my body to its limits in a way that the 5Ks and 10Ks I had done prior never did.  The half marathon forced me to add miles to may weekly training regimen and got me running outside on the street and in the forest preserves.  I could do all of my training for the shorter races on a treadmill but I felt compelled to hit the pavement in preparation for the half marathon.

I trained for about 9 weeks for my first half marathon.  It took me about 2 weeks to fully recover afterwards.  Given the amount of prep and recovery time involved, I want to try to do more this year.  I know I can do 2 halfs in one year and that's why I chose 3 as my goal.

Goal # 2 is to drop down to 185 pounds by September 11, 2011.  That is the day of my third half marathon.  It's a special race.  I'm running that half marathon with friends from literally all phases of my life - people from high school, college and from my professional life and we're running it on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to raise money and awareness for the reintegration of wounded U.S. veterans returning from war (we'll be running as Team Red White and Blue which is a charity based in Ann Arbor, MI).  Because its a special race with a special group of people at a time that will be quite solemn for us all, I want to be in the best shape possible.  Being lean is a critical component of being in great shape!

Goal # 3 is to run a total of 600 miles in 2011.  Even with races on the horizon it can be very easy to miss runs.  Since I don't run for time, once I build up a certain level of stamina, I can skimp on my training and still survive the races.  The solution?  Set a big enough aggregate goal for the year to keep me focused month to month.

To cover 600 miles in one year, however, requires that I run about 50 miles per month.  I need to cover 150 miles per quarter, and so on.  This keeps me going day to day.  When I miss a few workouts, I know that I'm falling behind in my miles.  But for the 600 mile goal those missed miles wouldn't really be missed.

So that's it for now!  I've got 3 big fitness goals for 2011!  Of course I'll running in other races (Shamrock Shuffle 8K on 4/10 in Chi-town, Race to End the Silence 8K on 4/23 in DC and Race Judicata 5K in Chi-town sometime in July) and I'll be lifting weights and all that other good stuff too!

Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!

I want to be lean and mean... Not skinny and weird

This isn't sour grapes.  Really.

I do want to be lean and mean (Grrrr!  Eye of the tiger baby!!!).  I want to get down to a very healthy and athletic body weight and be strong.  I want to look good.  But this photo in the New York Times about Paris mens' fashion isn't what I have in mind:

I know my arm is bigger than one of the pant legs on this guy's trousers (well, I am making the assumption that he has some on), but that doesn't mean I'm jealous.

I like Levi's jeans, Nike and Reebok sports shirts, hoodies and cotton shirts.  But just for giggles it would be fun to special order a XXXL version of this guy's outfit and wear it to work one day.  Of course that would cost about a month's pay to afford it!

This fella's get-up just looks weird to me.

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P.S.  I'm not even going to comment on the hair!  That would be sour grapes!

3 Day Weekend (MLK Day) Means 2-A-Day Workouts!

I have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off.  This is a perfect time to get some strong workouts in!  I'm going to try to do 2-A-day workouts in all three days.

Up first on a Saturday afternoon - a 4 mile treadmill run!
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***UPDATE # 1 | 7:38 PM***

I ran 4 miles this afternoon on my treadmill.  It felt good.  I still need to squeeze in workout #2!

Slow start to a 600 mile year

I am going to run at least 600 miles in 2011.  That is one of my goals for 2011.  I expect to hit this goal.  I might even exceed it.  But alas the start has been painfully slow.

In fact the end of 2010 seems to have bled into 2011 with bad eating and a lack of motivation.  It's all mental.  The lack of some significant short term goals is making it too easy to slack off.

Thankfully the slacking is generating so much angst that I constantly feel uncomfortable.  This, in turn, is forcing me back on track.

Consider me back on track!

I've formally signed up for 2 8K races - the Shamrock Shuffle (4/10/11 in Chicago, IL) and the Race to Stop the Silence (4/23/10 in Washington, DC).  I still need to pick a half marathon for the summer.

I need to run a half marathon in either June or July.  I'll be fasting for the month of Ramadan all of August but I've got the 9/11/11 Chicago half marathon about 2 weeks after I finish the month of daily fasting.  If I can do a half marathon in late July just before Ramadan then I can use the 4 weeks to recover and still maintain my stamina for the next half marathon (or so I think).

It feels a lot better to have races lined up.  Hey, whatever works!

Oh how quickly I forget! Goals, damn it! I need to have goals!

My workouts and my diet have been suffering since my half marathon on November 27, 2010.  Since the race I've been slacking in my workouts and very bad about my diet.

I've tried to get myself motivated since then.  It's not like I haven't worked out - I have.  However, the workouts haven't been focused and I've struggled on multiple occasions to get myself started.  A similar story can be told about my eating habits.  It's not that I've eaten a steady diet of fat and sugar since 11/27, but sugar and fat seem to show up a lot more frequently while fruits and vegetables have all but disappeared from my meals.

I know the culprit that's behind my fitness woes.  I don't have any immediate short or intermediate goals.  Sure, my long term goal is still to get more healthy.  That alone, however, isn't enough to keep me working out hard and eating really well on a regular basis.

It's funny and neat how powerful the mind can be.  Setting a goal as simple as "I want to run 15 miles in the next 5 days" is enough to get me focused and I feel so much more fired up to do it.  Alternatively, if I were to just say "I'm going to run 3 miles a day" without an end date I'm quite likely to skip a day or two over the next 5 days.  In other words, its all in my head!

So, going forward I'm going to set small goals.  For example, as I head into the weekend I want to do a lot of cardio so I'm setting a goal: I will run 10 miles total between Saturday and Sunday!

Dec 6th thru Dec 12th, 2010 - Workout Plan

Beginning this week I'm going to sketch out my workouts for the week and then, in the same post, I'll write an update on how the workout went.  I'll also try to set out some goals.

Goals for this Week:

1. Run 15 miles
2. 6 days of strength training

MONDAY - Dec 6, 2010

No workout - Monday Night Football

TUESDAY - Dec 7, 2010

• Running - 1.5 miles  DONE
• Bench Press - 3 warm up sets, 5 regular sets (165, 185, 205, 205, 185, 165)  DONE
• Dumbbell Incline Chest Press - 5 sets (35, 40, 50, 50, 40)  NOT DONE
• Barbell Shoulder Press - 3 warm up sets, 4 regular sets (95, 115, 125, 135)  NOT COMPLETE
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 5 sets (15, 20, 30, 30, 20, 20)  NOT DONE
• Upright Rows (machine) - 6 sets (high reps) NOT DONE
• Tricep Pushdowns (machine) - 3 sets  DONE
• Tricep Rope Extensions (machine) - 3 sets NOT DONE
• Running - 1.5 miles  DID 1 mile
• Sit-ups - 3 sets  NOT DONE

I didn't have the stamina to do multiple exercises per muscle group.  By the time I finished the bench presses I knew I was going to struggle through the rest of the workout if I tried to do the dumbbell incline presses before getting to the shoulder exercises.  I may modify the rest of the week's exercises to on lift movement per muscle/group.  Maybe after a few weeks of training I can start adding multiple exercises.

WEDNESDAY - Dec 8, 2010

• Running - 1.5 miles
• Lat Pulldowns - 6 sets (9 plates, 10, 11, 12, 11, 10)
• Bent-over close grip rows - 6 sets (12 plates, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16)
• Squats - 4 sets (95, 95, 115, 125)
• Single leg Curls - 3 sets (high reps)
• Deadlifts - 3 sets (135, 155, 155)
• Sit-ups - 3 sets

THURSDAY - Dec 9, 2010

• Running - 1.5 mile
• Bench Press - 3 warm up sets, 5 regular sets (165, 175, 185, 175, 165)
• Dumbbell Incline Chest Press - 5 sets (35, 40, 40, 35, 35)
• Barbell Shoulder Press - 3 warm up sets, 4 regular sets (95, 95, 125, 135)
• Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 5 sets (15, 20, 30, 30, 20, 20)
• Upright Rows (machine) - 6 sets (high reps)
• Tricep Pushdowns (machine) - 3 sets
• Tricep Rope Extensions (machine) - 3 sets
• Sit-ups - 3 sets
• Running - 1.5 miles

FRIDAY - Dec 10, 2010

• Running - 1.5 miles
• Lat Pulldowns - 6 sets (9 plates, 10, 11, 12, 11, 10)
• Bent-over close grip rows - 6 sets (12 plates, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16)
• Squats - 4 sets (95, 95, 115, 125)
• Single leg Curls - 3 sets (high reps)
• Deadlifts - 3 sets (135, 155, 155)
• Sit-ups - 3 sets
• Stationary bike - 20 minutes

SATURDAY - Dec 11, 2010

• Running - 2 miles
• Bench Press - 3 warm up sets, 3 regular sets (175, 185, 205)
• Barbell Shoulder Press - 3 warm up sets, 3 regular sets (95, 115, 95)
• Upright Rows (machine) - 6 sets (high reps)
• Tricep Pushdowns (machine) - 3 sets
• Sit-ups - 3 sets
• Running - 2.5 miles

SUNDAY - Dec 12, 2010

• Running - 1.5 miles
• Lat Pulldowns - 4 sets (9 plates, 10, 11, 9)
• Bent-over close grip rows - 3 sets (12 plates, 13, 14)
• Squats - 4 sets (95, 95, 115, 125)
• Single leg Curls - 3 sets (high reps)
• Deadlifts - 3 sets (135, 155, 155)
• Sit-ups - 3 sets
• Stationary bike - 20 minutes

Running, lifting and working on losing some weight

With my first half marathon behind me and no races - long or short - upcoming in the next 5 months, my focus is now on general fitness and health.

While training for the half marathon I allowed myself to slide a bit on my diet.  In hindsight that wasn't smart.  While I can't say that poor diet had an impact on my half marathon results (because the biggest impact was the lack of training and the psychological unpreparedness for the cold), I do know that it will hurt my efforts in the long run.

I'm going to use the next 2 months (December and January) to focus on some general fitness and health goals.  February 2011 will mark 1 year of getting back into shape.  My goal is to weigh in at 190lbs (I'm at about 210lbs now - maybe a bit less).  In the process of reaching that goal I intend to get stronger and build more stamina through strength training and running.  Over the next two months I'm going to get back to a healthier eating regimen as well.