Training Times

I have a bit of a secret desire. Every time I go to the gym, I'm reminded of it. I long for it. I crave it.

I want my personal trainer.

Okay, well, I don't really want him in the sense that.. well, you know... because he's a guy and that would be wierd for me... but rather I want his services.

I see my personal trainer at the gym a lot. We say hi and sometimes, if we walk past each other, we stop and chat. But he's a busy man, and I usually just get my workout in and then leave. I'm not a social gym person like others there.

Anyway, lately I've been thinking about signing up with him, to take more lessons with him.

That was not exactly how things were back in 2006 when I first started seeing him. I signed up for 20 lessons back in mid-March of '06 when I was a chunkmaster, when the B in LB stood for Blob. We probably had about two lessons a week, each hour-long sessions, and I cannot tell you how much I used to dread them. He had me do exercises - exercises for cryin' out loud! Talk about WTF...

I never used to exercise. I'm not exaggerating when I say that between 2000 and 2006 I probably exercised less than 10 times. I might have tried to play soccer once or twice in that span, may have played something else a few times, but mostly I just sat on my ass and got fat.

So imagine to my surprise when I was doing lunges, sprints, jumping rope, doing some absurd thing called "circuit training" when you go from machine to machine and workout and repeat the process a few times. I mean, what is that? And then, to top it off, I was supposed to go do two 20-minute cardio sessions by myself each week. The nerve! And that's not even counting the rigid meal plan he had me follow...

Ah yes, the memories. It was actually addicting, once I started to lose the weight, to go and work out. I got used to and embraced circuit training, lunges, sprints, jumping rope... okay, maybe not the jumping rope part because, wow, that was a workout and a half in and of itself.

But we did so many things, and I do nothing now except run. I feel bad that I did not maintain some of those workouts. There are times when I see someone doing some specialized workout and I think 'Hey, I used to do that' and I sort of long for it.

So why not just develop my own plan and go from there? Well, part of this longing is the desire to push myself. I know, running a marathon is about as far as you can push yourself, but I'd like to have something to go along with my running. I'd like to see a professional implement a workout plan for me and see how I can stand up to it, and see what the benefits are. I'd like to do more lunges and toughen up my butt muscles, do some of the things I used to do to help hit muscles in my arms and legs and abdomen and back. I don't want to get all muscled out - and honestly I don't think I could even if I really, really tried - but I would like a little more definition. Maybe. I guess, I wouldn't mind it, although that's not my main motivation behind this desire.

I just want to push myself and I want to see how I respond. And I know if I design my own system and make myself accountable to myself, I may not go through with it. Now, if it's running, yeah, I'll go through with it. But since I have a passion for running but not resistance training, then it takes more of an effort on that end.

I do want to try it out, though, and maybe my trainer will give me a discount... or not. But I do know that he would give me a wealth of knowledge and information.

However much I want to go for it, I don't want to jump into it until after the marathon. I don't want to start something new before Surf City and then try and run with sore muscles. You ever try running with sore muscles? Every step is painful.

So maybe in the springtime I might go for it. I figure, 10 sessions, one a week, and I'd really make some great progress.

Until then, it'll be just one more thing to think about when I run.

I guess I'll go

I felt energized to finally get out to the gym on Wednesday and was happy to finally get back to running after a 10-day layoff following my half-marathon.

It's Thursday, and I'm not quite feeling the same.

Part of the problem is that I don't have a run to train for. Well, technically I do, but it's not your typical run. On June 13, I'm participating in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run, and I'll blog about that soon enough. That run is great and all, but it requires a lot more than just cardio and the ability to run a certain distance.

I haven't planned yet all the training I'll need for the Mud Run. I'll probably have a mix of cardio (running, both on the 'mill and outdoors), core and weight lifting. But that's about as far as I've gone.

Already though I'm picturing myself at the gym, sitting on the weight machine, longing for some running time on the 'mill.

I guess it's just a matter of changing my focus. I have to focus on the Mud Run, figure out what I need to do in order to best prepare myself for it, and go from there.

But I'm not quite motivated to do that today. So reluctantly I'll head out to the gym and... do something. Maybe I'll try the elliptical again. Or the stairmaster... no, actually, not that. I hate that thing. I like the elliptical so I'll probably go for that one. Maybe.

I'm transitioning into a different place now in my training routine and I'm, uh, so excited about it. Can't you tell?

Wear 'em or not

Back in the dead days of this blog, during my four-month hiatus, I went through something that was both funny and embarrassing... though more the former than the latter. I didn't have a chance to blog about it but just remembered this event. It's pretty vivid in my mind, so I decided to blog about it now.

Before my oldest daughter started kindergarten, I took my girls every Wednesday to the local library for story time. At 10 was the story time for all ages and at 11 the big kids' story time, ages three and up. My girls enjoyed it quite a bit, so I always made it a point of going. I'd often go to the gym first, get a run in, and go the library afterward. It was a great way to spend a Wednesday morning as it ate up several hours and got both my body and my girls' minds engaged.

For some reason, this particular morning I had gotten off to a late start. The day-care part of the gym opens at 8, and I had planned for a 40-minute run. Had I gotten there right at 8, I would have had enough time to get my run in, shower and make it to the library in plenty of time. As it stood, I got the gym at about 8:30 and would have just enough time to run, shower and go to the library.

I checked the girls into the Kid's Club, stowed my clothes in a locker and found a treadmill. I got down to business and started running. I felt good, felt refreshed and was anticipating the library visit.

But somewhere around the 20th minute, I started ticking off the things I needed to do after getting off the treadmill. I had to shower, get dressed and get the girls. Just then, though, I realized I'd forgotten something vital.

I had left my underwear at home.

Great. I had a pair of underwear of course but I was wearing them. I sighed. And gave myself three options, none of which included not going to the library.

1) Stop. Get off the 'mill. Get the girls. Go home. Change.
2) Finish the run. Shower. Put sweaty underwear back on.
3) Finish the run. Shower. Go commando.

I kept running and quickly eliminated the first option. I did not like the idea of stopping my run. I knew that if I would stop I'd not be happy the rest of the day. Nothing worse than cutting a good workout short.

So that left me two choices. To wear or not to wear. I thought since nobody would know what was going on I could get away with either so it was just a matter of what I felt most comfortable with. And I did not like the idea of putting on dirty underwear after taking a shower. Dirty shorts, I'd grit my teeth. A dirty shirt, I'd look for a jacket. But dirty underwear... not a chance.

Commando I would go.

I got off the treadmill, hurried up and showered and got dressed sans undies. I wore shorts and a t-shirt (it was in the middle of the summer). The only thing that I needed to concern myself with was making sure my shorts did not fall. I wore a belt and tightened it tighter than normal. My shorts were long, down to around my knees, so they weren't going to rise up and reveal anything. And I just had to secure my shirt from rising up and showing crackage when I sat down.

The library went well. My girls enjoyed the day as they did every other time I went, although at the end I was happy to leave the library. I was pretty sure nobody but me knew that the only father there that day did not have any undies on.

But I did it all for my girls... and for the sake of the workout.

The run must go on!

Heightened heart rate

Finally, got back at it today and I feel great. I went to the gym and ran for the first time in about eight days. I ran my usual 42-minute interval run, my go-to workout when I need a jump start. It was challenging and tiring but it was well worth it. But not everything went off without a hitch.

Music Good, iPod Bad

First, Polly had set a great tone for my entire workout over on her blog. Then, Blog Buddy Ange said she'd been running to The Who so I fired up Roger and the boys for the first half of my interval run. I don't think I've ran to The Who before but it went pretty good actually. I liked the tempo of the songs I listened to, not too soft but not too up-tempo either. They allowed me to get into my groove soon enough.

About halfway through, I switched to Metallica, the old stand-by, since my heart rate was going up and up and I knew the last push was going to be tough. Sure enough, the final two-minute sprint - which I run at a 9.0 - Metallica was going to come in handy as I had put on a harder song but right when I was about to stretch my legs and start the sprint my iPod died on me. Argh! I was so frustrated.

I can look at it as a positive though, as a sort of test of my own will, a test to see if I can get through something alone but I'm tired of these tests and tired of my iPod's shenanigans. I got through the sprint just fine, cooled down for five minutes and then...

My Buddy, Core Exercise

I hadn't done core in a long time. Too long. I did some crunches and was on some other torture machines that doubled as core exercise machinery. I did manage to get the iPod up and running, found a defibrilator and got it back to life. I decided to keep the blog buddy theme going and listened to White Zombie, a suggestion from Crystal. That helped get me through the first torture machine. Then, I changed it up to Staind thanks to Willoughby and finally "Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon" by Flogging Molly, inspired by Tattoos and Teething Rings.

It was great. I really believe in fate and that things happen for a reason. For instance, before I got to the gym Metallica told be to look up at the sky, that it might be the last I'll ever see. That kind of summed up my fears. As I was on the torture chamber Staind said "It's been a while since... I did core" okay, they didn't say the last part but it had been a while since I worked on my core. Then, Flogging Molly belted out "without hope you're blind" or something to the effect.

I have hope and I still have hope and I will always have hope. Hope and desire and motivation drive me, and I was reminded by that at the end by that song.

High HR

My heart rate got as high as 193. Wow! I averaged 172.I think the last time I did the interval run the numbers were 162 and 181 or so.

It was good to have done the run and core but also it served as a reminder that I need to get back at it more often. But today was a great way to get back at it. And I have all my blog buddies to thank for it!

Afternoon run

It wasn't the best run, but I went to the gym Tuesday afternoon as planned.

The biggest difference, I quickly noted, was in my mental makeup. First, there was no way I would have been able to run 10 miles with the way my mind was racing. I wanted just to finish the run and I kept looking at the mileage on the treadmill and the clock in hopes of finishing early.

Now, I was only supposed to run two miles but I wound up running three. I figured the extra mile would do me some good. I ran the first mile at a 6.0, then a 6.8. Mile 2 I ran it at a speed of 7.3, and my heart rate reflected it. For the entire mile, my heart rate rose steadily from the low 170s to the mid 170s. I wasn't worried necessarily but just taken aback by how quickly it rose. Needless to say, if I want to run more than six miles or so, running that fast that early would not be wise.

By the time I was finished with my three miles, I felt more in a groove and more relaxed than I had when I first started. I could easily have kept going but I have to stick with my schedule. That is a good thing when you've got a 2-3 mile run, but not so good when you have a 12-mile monster facing you, which is my upcoming Saturday challenge.

Still, it's runs like Tuesday's that will help me defeat the beast.

Change in routine

Since I started running, I've always preferred morning runs to afternoon or evening runs. I suppose I got used to it from the start, since that's when I typically worked out. Runs then carried over and my mornings were filled with runs.

Now, nearly 11 months into my running life, I'm going to add a new wrinkle and start running some in the afternoon.

The operative word is "some." I still plan on doing the majority of my runs in the morning hours, but there will be days like today where I need my morning time for other things, and a run would fit nicely in the afternoon hours.

I've tried to run in the afternoons before. I went a few times to the gym to get in some runs but things did not work out well. The last time I went, I believe it was the last time, I felt wasted and felt like the three miles I did were the hardest three miles I'd ever done. I had wanted to run five at the start but when I got to 2.5 or so, I felt that I only had a half-mile left in me. I was very disappointed because I labored so much and did not feel like I did much of anything that day.

Now, of course, I've had plenty of experience running in the afternoons, just not distance running. I had to run around dozens of soccer fields in the area for the last two months, so my body became adjusted to some sort of physical activity in the afternoons. I want to build on that, want to carry that over somewhat into my runs and give myself some time in the mornings to do other things. Sometimes, running can dominate a morning's plans, and if I can free up some time to do other things, be they work-related or cooking-related (course, I'd much rather cook than work...) then that would be an added bonus.

Soccer is over, and my heels could not be happier. And with the rain today, I'll head to the gym for a three-mile run. It should be a welcomed change of pace, and hopefully the start of something new.

Infuriating morning

I skipped my workout today. I had intended to run intervals again, for the second time in three days. But it didn't happen.

It was not my fault, however. Honestly. In fact, I'd been all prepared to work out when my ability to work out was stripped from my hands.

I had called my gym in the morning to see if their day care center was open. The person said yes, so I planned my morning around that. My wife had been home in the morning but I chose instead to take the girls to the gym because they like to spend time in their day care.

When I showed up to the gym, though, I was told otherwise. The gym's day care center was closed. I was upset and walked right back out the door. A trip to the grocery store adjacent to the gym did not soothe my intensifying anger so I went back to the gym to talk to a manager. I was very upset at this point and worried that I would start to yell. I didn't, though. I kept my cool and told him the story and he sympathized with me. He tried to make it up by giving me a free month's worth of their membership, and while that was nice and appreciated it didn't take away from the fact that I missed my workout.

Missing workouts because of your own doing, whether it's because you were negligent or something came up or whatever, is one thing. But when you plan to work out, get up the energy to go to the gym (and truth be told I didn't exactly feel like running four miles but dammit that's what I was going to do) and psyche yourself up to get on the treadmill/elliptical/bike/whatever and then all of the sudden you are told no, you can't, thank you very much... well, that's very upsetting. That's why I was so irritated, because I had that stripped from me.

I went home, stewed a little longer and now I think I've expelled the negative feelings out through my fingers and into this post.

On Saturday I'll have to get up early and go on a run. I will run here outside unless it's raining. If that happens, it'll be back to the gym this time without girls in tow. And if they tell me for the second consecutive day that I can't work out, oh boy, will there be hell to pay.

You again?

I made it back to the gym for another round of workouts today. I don't want to burn myself out for Saturday but at the same time I want to get there in as best position as possible.

My arms and chest are a bit sore today, which lets me know yesterday's workout went well. I hope I won't be too sore on Saturday but if I am, I'll have to deal with it. I wanted to work on my legs today but I also wanted to do some cardio. I wondered though if it would be wise to do another of my favorite 42-minute cardio sessions or not because I don't want to get to Saturday with no energy.

I did only three leg workouts - extensions, curls and calf raises. I didn't have too much time and figured I'd hit those since I'd done them forever and I wanted to get back to something familiar.

After my leg workouts, I decided to go ahead and do my regular cardio session. Actually, I think it was during the five-minute warm up that I decided. I almost mixed it up - and I would have to mix it up but not by my doing - but at about minute four I went ahead to go with it.

I found another messed up machine, though. This one spat out my heart rate to me but it didn't change speeds easily. I had to manually go from the 3.7 I'd been warming up at to the 5.8 I wanted to use. It took me some time to figure it out, though, and by the time I was at the 5.8 it was almost minute six. Not to mention my towel fell off the treadmill.

Great. My run is ruined.

Not exactly. After a minute at 5.8, I just decided to run at a 7.3 for three straight minutes. I got up to minute 10 running at the steady clip. I went back down to 5.8 for three minutes and back up to 7.3 for another four minutes.

Still, there was the matter of the changing speeds. I went down to 3.9 and checked my heart rate. It was at a 183 which was good. Perfect actually. But I wanted to do the next six rounds one minute at a time. So I switched machines. The towel, in the end, was the deciding factor.

All I need now is for this one to mess up on me.

Yes, I gambled. It was a risk switching machines because if I struck out again then it relly would have messed me up. But I lucked out. The machine not only measured my heart rate, but it changed speeds easily. In other words, it worked.

I walked for about a minute and then picked up the pace: 5.8, 7.3, 5.8, 7.3, 5.8, 7.3.

I caught my breath somewhat during my brief cooldown. It was an intended part of the interval training, though. You are supposed to recover and then change speeds to maximize the workout.

After three minutes of cooldown and four minutes of rounds, I went down for a quick cooldown session before my two-minute sprint. By this time, I was exhausted. I wasn't totally gassed but I was getting there. I don't know if it was the early sustained 7.3 pace or yesterday's run but my legs weren't quite there at the end. Maybe it's raising the overall level of the run from 5.5-7.0 to 5.7-7.3. Or maybe it was the leg exercises I did earlier.

Whatever the reason, I wasn't about to back down.

I gotta change up the song.

I'd been listening to random songs but I decided to go for one of my heavy songs, Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson. It was time. I got up to an 8.3. Then an 8.6.

I think I can feel my heart. It's going to exit my chest.

My heart was indeed pumping hard. It felt good, though, once I finished the two minutes. My heart rate was 188 when I was done, which is 100 percent of my rate and probably why I was feeling it during my sprint.

Now my plan for the rest of the week is simple. I am going to rest on Thursday and run my 2.25 mile run around my neighborhood. I think that will be the best for me in terms of entering Saturday at my peak.

Return to the gym

It had been a long time between gym visits. I believe it was March when I last visited the gym. May have even been late February.

Now, I haven't exactly stopped working out as you know. I've been running outside, but all of my exercise has consisted of running around here. No free weights. No core exercises. No machines. Nothing but my new shoes and the street.

I made it back to the gym today, and I'd like to say it was a triumphant return but that would be too over-dramatic. So I'll settle for a satisfying return visit.

I started off with a gentle five-minute bike ride. As I started peddling, the one thing I had missed was the ability to keep track of my heart rate. After about a minute or so, I checked my heart and it was at about 90. After another minute or so, I got it up to 120. By the end, it was at about 154, which is a pretty good clip. I like to warm up for five minutes before I start my workouts.

I went to lift some weights afterward and did bench, lat pulldown and pec fly. I did three sets of 10 on each. But I really wanted to get back to running on the treadmill for old time's sake, so I only did those exercises. Usually, I'd done maybe twice as much work before hitting the treadmill but this time cut it a bit short.

So I walked over to the treadmill and it was a different and interesting experience. I wanted to run my usual 42-minute cardio session that includes walking, jogging, jogging fast and sprinting. The first thing that was different was the iPod slung around my arm instead of somewhere on the treadmill. That made such a huge difference. I wasn't distracted by it at all, whereas before it got in the way sometimes.

I set out on a five-minute walk and tried to read my heart rate. Of course, as luck would have it I picked a machine that wasn't working in that department. I had to measure it by hand. But since I'd tried so long, the time ran out. I had to start my 12 minutes of rounds.

I set at 5.5 and started jogging. It felt very slow. The first thing I noticed was that I run faster than a 5.5 clip outside. I jogged at this pace for a minute and it wasn't as I'd remembered it. Now, it was challenging the first time I ran it, way back in 2006. But now, it wasn't. I went back to a 7.0 and that was a steady pace but again not as challenging as I'd remembered it. I tried to keep the original interval plan in mind. I didn't want to throw it off by changing the speeds and running too fast. I wanted to run one minute at about 70 percent and the other at 90 percent, but I also wanted to keep it at a pace that wouldn't burn me out right away.

So I went up to a 5.7 and 7.2. That was better, even though the changes were slight. I wanted to keep the lower one at under a 6 and the other 1.5 higher. The next time, I might try 5.9 and 7.4 or I may go to 6.0 and 7.5, though I'd like to keep the low one low, otherwise the intervals won't work as well.

Anyway, I finished the 12 minutes of rounds and went down to a 4.0. I felt around for my heart beat on my neck and it wasn't exactly difficult to find. As the heart beat pounded out on my index and middle fingers, I tried to keep up with it. I counted it for 15 seconds and got to 43. By my math, 43 times 4 is 172, so it was pretty much right on track.

After a three-minute walk at 4.0, I went back for six more minutes of rounds. Afterward, my heart was up to 46 beats per 15 seconds, so it had increased to 184. It was about the same after my four minutes of rounds.

I got ready to run my two-minute sprint. By this time, I was getting fatigued. The intervals were working and although I wasn't as exhausted as my previous dozens of interval sessions, I was getting there. After a two-minute walk, I set it at a 6.0 to get my feet underneath me and then took off at an 8.3 pace. After one minute, I increased it to an 8.6. I actually ran over for 15 seconds before going back down to a 4.0. I checked my heart rate and I got to 49 in 15 seconds, which is 196. That's actually above what my max should be, since the max is 220 minus your age and that would put me at 188. But the last story I read about intervals suggested training at quick intervals at more than your max heart rate, so I was encouraged actually.

All in all, going back to the gym was refreshing. I felt in much better shape after leaving today than I had the last time I'd left that place.

Oh, and I weighed myself too. 184.0, post-workout. That was a nice way to end the day as well.

Back to where it all started

Now that summer is here, the weather will start to get warmer and warmer until the thermometer breaks. 100-degree temperatures are right around the corner, and such weather can severely hamper my outside workouts.

Never fear, though. As summer arrives, so to does the prospect of more free time. Yvie (my daughter) is finally done with preschool and that means no more running around on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That's going to allow me more time to do more things, and one of them is going to the gym.

A year ago, I hit the gym hard in June, July and August. I went from 232 in early June to 217 by late July, and this was before I started running on the treadmill. All of that was done on the elliptical, weights and my steady meal plan. I think it was around a year ago when I really started incorporating fruits and vegetables into my meal plan and made them a priority.

Anyway, I'm salivating about the gym. I want to get back into a rhythm in terms of lifting and hitting the gym in general. I still plan on running outside. That much hasn't changed. But it will be nice to know that on the days I wake up without energy to run at 5 in the a.m. I can still perform the cardio for the day at the gym. I want to get back to my 42-minute cardio sessions and mix those in. I think they can still do me a boatload of good. I want to work on my upper-body strength and I want to do some core exercises as well.

My initial plan is to go on Tuesday. I've got my 5K run a week from tomorrow so I want to run on Saturday outdoors and hit the gym on Tuesday and Thursday. I'd also like to mix in one more outdoor run, perhaps on Monday and/or Wednesday.

I used to dread going to the gym, but now I'm anxious to get back to it, back to the place where I've left so much sweat and so many pounds behind.