Back on the Wagon

Last week I started running again. 3 times for a total of 8.3 miles. I'm also doing 250 push-ups a day in blocks of 50. A couple of times a week I will do pull-ups or just try an overhand pull-up hold with my chin above the bar. Last week I was able to get 8 pull-ups in one set, and did a 34 second hold. We are 3 months out from the tough mudder in Austin, and one of my team has had to drop due to some nerve and neck issues.

sub 10 minute

I had my first longer distance run last night, and it was the first one that I had been under a 10 minute mile for the whole run. I wasn't meaning to run any faster than normal, but it was a nice cool/cold night. Things just worked out that way. 2.52 miles at a 9 minute 55 second per mile pace.

If my wife happens to be reading this, let me say: I did not run faster than normal to see if I could run faster than you. I'm not in any kind of competition to see who can run further or faster. Love you!

GOAL!

I hit my 6 mile run goal on Sunday night. It was supposed to be a 5.75 mile run, but I was feeling good and decided to just finish it off. I am going to continue running three times a week, but I'm going to have two short runs (2 miles-ish) and then one longer run (4-6 miles).

The pull-ups are still continuing at work. I've gotten up to 7 for a max. During the day I max out the first one and then go back throughout the day taking off one pull-up every time until I get down to 1. Today should have 28 pull-ups total. Next week I will work on the push-ups again since I won't be up at work.

Back to the grind

I ran for the first time in a week last night. I was shooting for 5.25 miles since I last did a little over 5. Before I walked out the door, I was thinking that I would be happy if I made it 3 miles before walking. I was pretty sure that my lungs would give out somewhere in there.

So I stepped out the door in the 37 degree night with Live at Wembley by Queen in my ears and proceeded to run my 5.25 miles in about an hour and 4 minutes. It went much better than I had expected, and the cold didn't bother me all that much. It was 35 when I got home. I jumped in the shower with some lukewarm water that really stung my hands and was feeling nice and warm after about 10 minutes.

One of the guys at work padded the cable ladder at work so we can do pull-ups on it. I have managed to do 20 on Monday and Tuesday and then about 10 today.

The flu, the flu....

You are a bitch. You made my throat a little bit sore this past Tuesday and then came for a full on visit on Wednesday. I headed to the doctor, was diagnosed, and got my tamiflu that afternoon. I have to say that stuff is pretty amazing. Yesterday I was back to feeling pretty normal, and today is even better.

I'm pretty sure this has knocked me back quite a bit on running though. I was so close to the 6 mile goal, and I probably won't be able to run until Monday or Tuesday of next week. I have high hopes of picking up where I left off, but I'm sure that reality will bite me in the butt during that run.

Getting closer

Last night was my 4.5 mile run. Only 6 more runs until I hit the goal of a 6 miler. Strangely enough I think I am going to make it. I was really concerned after the 3.75 miles at work last week. The last two runs have gone really well.

I am not dreading these runs anymore, and yet I can't find it anything but strange that I seem to be enjoying running for almost an hour solid. Based on my pace so far, hitting that 6 miles is going to take me about 72 minutes. That is just a long time to be doing one thing over and over. It's a good thing that music helps make it easier.

4.01

Miles earlier this morning. It was much easier than the 3.75 on Wednesday at work. Man that one hurt. Badly. Today's was long and slow, but it was still done. I am not sure if I am going to continue on the addition of .25 miles at each run till 6. We shall see how the rest of this week goes. I might back it down to a couple of miles two times a week and then a long run on the weekend where I build up to 6.

My calves are hurting this afternoon.

Finding my stride?

So last night I went out for a run after Becky got back from her walk/run. I left around 9:45 and knew that I would be out until 10:30 or so depending on where I was when I hit my mileage. I don't run the same pattern through the neighborhood on every run, but I go with a turn when the feeling hits me type of run. I was going for 3.5 miles last night and wasn't looking forward to it very much.

Somewhere around the two mile mark I noticed that I hadn't concerned myself with my breathing. I was listening to the first songs on a new playlist. Around 2.5 miles I was thinking "man this isn't bad at all tonight". And finally at 3 miles I had the thought that I could have pushed it to 5 miles without much effort.

I was talking to a former runner at work, and he described that feeling as hitting his stride or that time during a run where you feel like you can just keep motoring through. At my current rate of add .25 miles per run (.75 per week), I will be at my goal of 6 miles in just a little over 3 weeks. I'm averaging just a touch over 11 minutes per mile right now, so that 6 mile run will last about 70 minutes. That's a damn long time to run.

Once I hit that goal, I will back it down to two short runs and one long one a week so I can keep up my cardio until April.

Still moving ahead

Between having to travel for work and working 12+ hour days when out of town, it's been hard to keep up with the running. But I'm doing it. Today I did my 3.25 mile run. I stopped once for pull ups (maxing at 5 now), and then at the end of the run I did a few more. Walked back to the house and did 50 incline push ups.

weekly update

This last week has been pretty jacked up with the work schedule. I've been working over night maintenance windows and trying to get some sleep during the day. Despite that I was able to get my runs in and this afternoon finished up this week getting a 2.75 mile run in with one of my daughters on her bike. I had to walk for about a quarter mile toward the 2 mile mark, and I think that was due to the blood donation on Thursday. I had pushed that run off as long as I could, but the last time I tried to exercise after giving blood, I did it too soon.

I tried another push-up max today and got to 75. My pull-up max right now is 3.

workouts

So I've started the first workouts after deciding to go for the tough mudder. There are now 4 guys committed to running this. Even if the other two guys don't join, I think our team will be pretty solid.

I've been doing a crapload of push-ups trying to get to being able to run through 100 at a time. I am currently maxing out at 70. So I've started doing some incline push-ups at half of my max number. So I'm doing at least 200 regular push-ups or 100 incline every other day at the least.

Sunday I ran 1.58 miles. I stopped at the playground in the neighborhood twice during that run to try and do some pull ups. I did two at the first stop, and two at the second stop.

On Tuesday I walked 1.65 miles at work, and I dusted off the bowflex and ran through some arm, chest, ab, and back exercises.

Wednesday was just push-ups.

Thursday was another run. I am trying to add a quarter mile onto each run. So this one was 1.82 miles with another couple of stops at the playground. I did one pull up and held it as long as I could (10-15 seconds) in an overhand and underhand grip in the first set. The second set was 4 pull ups to the back of my neck.

A co-worker showed me that in our game room, we can do pull ups on one of the power racks that is attached at the ceiling. I've done a couple of sets of two on that. The grip is not the most comfortable at all, but hopefully I will get used to it. Some push-ups today as well.

This weekend will be another run up to at least 2 miles. I also really need to get our pull up bar at home installed.