My Son Teaches Me A Lesson

"Pain is the voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue, you will change."  @pdeliverance

75 v ups
DB strict press 60lb x 3 x 3, 7 x 2
DB push press 75lb x 2 x 1

Yesterday my 16 month old son walked downstairs for the first time.  We have been trying to teach him to go down backwards on his stomach, but he refuses to.  He wants to go down standing up like his big sister.

So he was at the top of the stairs and he put his hand on the wall (too small to grab the rail) and slowly slid his left foot over the edge of the step.  Then he pulled his right foot down and sat on the step.  Took a breath, stood up and did it again.  And again, and again, and again.  Each step a unique achievement.  Lots of wobbling, lots of hesitating, and it took forever.  But he just set his mind to it and got it done.

It reminded me about some of the athletic barriers we put up for ourselves as adults.  Walking down the steps for the first time was a big achievement for Ben.  But when he got to the bottom, he just ran off to play.  He didn't care what anyone else thought of him.  He didn't worry that he might not be able to do it, or he might fall, or he might fail, or he might look stupid.  He also didn't worry if he was wearing the right clothes, or if he had picked the correct stairs to walk down and tapered correctly for the attempt.  He didn't worry that he didn't follow the proper training plan as described in two different "Stair climbing" magazines.  He didn't search the internet for proper stair descent form.  He just tried it, and got it done.

There is often so much hesitancy and doubt when it comes to adults trying new things.  Be it running, showing up at a spin class, trying a new gym, swimming, etc.  We can get so focused on not "looking stupid" and "doing it right" that we miss out on a lot of cool stuff.  Remember that every person who you are afraid will think you look like an idiot was in the same position themselves when they first tried.  You never learn to do anything worthwhile without making a few mistakes along the way.

Train and play with a child's mind.  It's a lesson we can all learn.

Good Blog Link

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry, you will get over it!" Gene Thibeault

run 5 miles

Super easy run with Jen in Lake Tahoe.  I always like running with her.

I've followed this guy's blog for awhile.  He is a professional bike racer, a very contemplative guy (maybe too much), and a very good writer.  I was highly impressed with this recent post.  It's a long read, but there is a lot there is you are willing to dig deep into it.  Lots to learn.  Here it is --- Harm Racing 

Saturday

"High goals don’t just ‘happen.’ Wishing and hoping also doesn’t work. Discipline, dedication and smart training are necessary."  @joefriel


treadmill 6 miles 53:05
Super busy day, so had to get something in early.  


“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.” Scott Jurek 24 hour record post


Check out this video, it is amazing.  Yosemite time-lapse video


The regional competition for the Crossfit games are this weekend.  Whatever your opinion of Crossfit, you have to admit the people that compete at the higher levels are serious athletes.

Random Thoughts

"We tend to live up to our expectations." E. Nightingale 

75 v ups
DB strict press 60lb x 5 x 3, 5 x 2

Some observations:

- I used to do ab work at the end of my workout.  However, doing it at the beginning works pretty well as a warm up.  Especially since I get up pretty early to train, the set of abs does a good job waking me up.

- My weight workouts are very limited right now, but it seems to be working.  My elbow feels great, and I'm stronger than ever.  Overhead press is a very balanced exercise for the upper body (as opposed to doing just back or chest work), so I'm not worried about muscle imbalances - as long as my elbow is happy I'll stick with what's working.

- I could do more on the weight days, but it seems that any leg work (jump rope, box jumps, weights, etc) just makes the run days too much of a struggle.  Especially given my schedule, I think I'm better off sleeping in and doing a little less on the weight day so I can do more on the run day.  As my schedule opens up I'll add either miles or intensity to my running and see where that takes me.

- Jen, Brian and I are talking about doing a bodyfat challenge.  We will each get our bodyfat measured and then see who loses the most bodyfat over 90 days or something like that.

This picture is amazing.  More at this link -- source

Just Show Up

"A one hour training session is 4% of your day. No excuses."  @pdeliverance

60 v ups
40 bicycles
treadmill 5 miles 43:25

The above quote was applicable to me this morning.  The alarm went off at 4:30 and I had zero interest in getting out of bed.  But after 1/2 hour of internal debate, I finally said screw it and got up.  As always, I'm glad I did.

As an aside, its interesting how sore I am every morning now.  I don't think I'm working any harder than I did in the past, but nearly every morning I have a lot of muscular soreness.  It's almost like someone flicked a soreness switch on when I turned 40.  To be honest, if that's all I have to deal with for the next few years, I will be perfectly happy.  I've never been a big supplement fan, but a good friend of mine who is very serious about training and diet swears by them for recovery.  I might look into that. 

I follow the blog of a guy who is one of the top crossfit dudes in the world.  He writes some good stuff, including this post.

Some cool pictures from Paul at Tahoe Weather Blog:

A Couple of Videos

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." Walt Disney

50 v ups
50 bicycles
DB strict press 60lb x 2 x 3, 7 x 2, 1 x 1

My Lord.  This makes me sick just watching. (via GZ)



I know winter is over, but watch this guy nearly die on the cliff (about 1:15 in)

Afternoon Run

"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." Bruce Lee

run 8 miles

Squeezed a run in late afternoon. I sure feel heavy and slow. I'll have to bring a watch sometime and see if I really am that slow. I think I'm afraid of the answer though...

Busy Again

"Be patient and tough; some day this pain will be useful to you" Ovid

80 leg raises
20 V ups
DB strict press 60lb x 10 x 2
jump rope 5 min

The dude that won the 100k (62 miles) championship this weekend averaged 6:10 per mile. 

The Army has figured out that a mentally tough soldier is better than a physically tough soldier.  Remember that when setting your training goals. 

One Foot in Front of the Other (Edit)

"Busy" and "productive" are two very different things." @lisatwight

A.M.
75 leg raises
run 4 miles (Manzanita)
DB strict press 60lb x 10 x 1

P.M.
run Hunter Creek 6 miles (about 1750 elevation gain) 1:15 or so. 

(Edit)
In true reverse jinx fashion, after my whining about my schedule (below), I had a couple of hours open up in the afternoon and I was able to run to the Hunter Creek waterfall.  Very fun.

Some thoughts:

- here is how I do leg raises.  It's all one motion, but I'll break down the steps.  Lie on the floor on your back with your hands flat under your butt, legs straight out, toes pointing away from your body, heels just a couple of inches off the floor.  Keeping your legs straight, bring your legs up to a 90 degree angle so your toes are pointing straight up to the sky.  Then push your feet straight up in the air about 6-8 inches by raising your butt off the floor.  The image should be that someone is holding their hand about 6-8 inches above your toes and you need to push your toes up in the air and hit their hand.  Then, keeping your legs straight, bring your butt back to the ground and lower your legs back down so your heels are a couple of inches off the floor again.  That's one rep. 

-  historically, I've done ab work for a couple of months at a time.  For whatever reason my core is pretty strong so after a couple of months of dedicated effort I'm doing so many more reps with more weight than anyone I know that I start asking myself how strong does your core even need to be?  I sort of feel like I'm wasting my time at that point, and I quit doing the work.  I'll try to be more committed this go around. 

-  I don't want to make excuses, but training time and intensity has suffered lately.  I'm working about twice as much as I was a month ago (not necessarily a bad thing), and the travel schedule has been rougher.  Add coaching my daughter's softball team and just the daily demands of two toddlers around the house, and I find myself with little time and at times less energy.  The beauty of getting up at 4:30 am and being done with my workout by 6 am is at least I know I can get something in.  But some days I am so thrashed that I wonder if I'm better off staying in bed.  That happened yesterday morning.  I was so exhausted I felt like my planned run would just be a joke. 

I'm hoping things lighten up a bit in the next few weeks, but I think the reality is I won't have the proper time to train until at least after my 50k race in mid-May.  That race should be a bit interesting, since my running volume is going to completely suck before that race.  It will be interesting to see how much suffering I have to go through on race day.  It should be a character building experience.

Similar Workout, Different Day

50 leg raises
DB strict press 50lb x 10 x 3
50 leg raises
DB strict press 60lb x 5 x 1
seated leg press 4 sets

I was supposed to ride the gym bike today, but I didn't feel like it. So I basically repeated yesterday's workout because that seemed like more fun.

First time in a few months that I could strict press the 60lb dumbbells. Nice.

I've had a few thoughts/observations on light vs. heavy weightlifting, ab work, etc. But it's too much of a pain to type much on my phone. I'll write more when I'm back home.

Traveling Again

"He's soft & fat & wearing my clothes & getting old & was born on my birthday & I'm afraid if I stop training he'll catch me." Nike ad

A.M.
25 pushups
25 leg raises
repeat circuit 4 times
DB strict press 45lb x 10 x 3
seated leg press 5 sets

P.M.
treadmill 15.0 incline 2 miles 36:14

Long days, hotel gym.

Fitness tip for the day - watching all the guys in the gym doing bicep curls and tricep extensions reminded me that you don't need to do either of those things. I haven't done either of those exercises in years and my biceps and triceps are plenty big in relation to the rest of my arms.

Brian is the same way and his arms are much bigger than mine.
Just do heavy upper body compound movements like bench and shoulder presses, pullups etc and don't waste time on "assistance" exercises.

Adding Back Core Work

"Being lean is a matter of being strong mentally You must decipher the difference between the need for something and the need for something more important."  @firmfitness99

25 pushups
25 leg raises
repeat circuit 4 times without rest
run 4 miles 36:04 (Manzanita, about 500 ft gain in middle section (1 1/2 miles)

One of the things I am putting back into the program is core work.  I've always had a strong core so its something I've haven't had to spend a ton of time working on.  However, just because it's strong, doesn't mean it can't get stronger.  The times in the past when I have devoted a few months to consistent core work I've felt stronger and more fit overall.  I need to get back to that place.

This is one of the most mindblowing videos I have ever seen.   It is of Bruce Lee playing ping pong, but instead of a paddle, he is using nunchucks.  (via @danharm)

Here is some research that states that plyometrics and weight training (among other things) can improve your running economy.

Cool picture of lightning striking the Bay Bridge in SF.  (source)

It's On

"Make progress or make excuses.  Your choice."  Me

25 pushups
25 leg raises
repeat above circuit 4 times without rest
jump rope 5 min
treadmill 15.0 incline 2 miles 33:34

As you can tell from my last few posts, George's soul searching over on his blog has spurred me to do the same.  The timing is good because I've been feeling a bit aimless the last few months.  I came to the conclusion that my problem is I am staying in a comfort zone with regard to training and diet, and as a result I'm making no progress. 

I rationalize my current training by the fact that it is very consistent in frequency (i.e. nearly daily) so I must be ok as long as I'm doing something.  I eat "pretty good", my body looks "pretty good" and my overall fitness level is "pretty good". I use this "pretty good" standard to justify not pushing my limits or putting in the dedication or intensity required to experience real progress.

No more.  What needs to matter is that I'm pushing as hard as I can in training and in recovery/diet, not how my performance compares to others.  I can't be focused on acheiving specific goals (i.e. get to a certain weight or bodyfat level or reach a certain level of athletic performance).  The focus must be on the journey, not the destination.  Just be disciplined and work hard - harder than you thought possible, and be mindful of how your are fueling your body and recovering when you aren't training.  Don't settle.     

I seem to have forgotten the fact that everything in life worth achieving takes an uncomfortable level of effort to earn.  Otherwise there would be no satisfaction in the accomplishment.  I've been rationalizing the pursuit of an easier path and as a result that sense of accomplishment has been lacking.   

There is no magic training or diet plan.  The approach is simple - be disciplined and uncomfortable in training and diet.  Expect a challenge, expect difficulty - and embrace it. 

Must Read Link Today

"Someone busier than you already worked out today."  Anonymous

treadmill 5 miles 41:24

George nailed it with his blog post yesterday.  

To echo his thoughts, whether you want to be a competitive athlete or just want to look good, its all about what you do in the times you aren't training.  I probably train 6 hours per week.  There are 168 hours in a week.  What I do the other 162 hours (diet, sleep, etc) makes a much bigger difference to my athletic performance and body composition than people think.  I know this is fairly obvious when you think about it, but I sure don't think about it or focus on it as much as I should.  Great lesson and motivation here. 

Dieting

"All your pain comes simply from a futile search for what you want, insisting it must be found outside you." @zenmoments

treadmill 5 miles 45:23

Time to clean up my diet.  I haven't gained a ton of weight or anything, but I feel like crap.  All that stuff about fueling your body with food (in a good or a bad way) is actually true.

On the topic of diets, I love the whole, "I'm going to start eating really good on Monday" program.  I can't tell you how many people (including myself) have said that to me.  Thinking of eating in extremes ("I'm eating great this week" vs. "I'm eating terrible with week") is a waste of time.  Smaller, long term habit forming changes to diet and eating patterns is a pain and it takes longer to take effect, but of course - it actually works. 

It's the typical American society thing.  We all want results immediately.  The only results worth having are those that are earned over time.

These are a couple of pictures of Huntington Beach in California.  I had no idea that there were oil drilling platforms so close to the beach.  It was sort of a strange sight. 

Some Random Thoughts

"If your life is free of failures, you aren't taking enough risks."  @NTTR

DB push press 60lb x 10 x 5

My schedule got screwed up this week because of the trip.  I really like the "Mon, Wed, Fri - lift weights, Tues, Thur, Sat.- run" program.  I'll just run Friday and Saturday and get back on track for next week. 

A few observations:

1.  I am amazed at how much Disneyland beat up my feet and legs.  I have to think that I abuse my lower body more than most people, especially with the ultramarathon running on fairly low weekly mileage.  However, for whatever reason walking around Disneyland on concrete for 2 days just hammered my feet and legs.  I couldn't believe how sore they were.  Not sure what to make of that, other than I am a wimp.

2.  I'm impressed at how my elbow has held up the last few days.  My typical routine is to work around the injury and find things I can do that don't hurt (in this case, it is apparently shoulder presses).  But then after a week or two of no pain, I start trying to do other stuff and I screw it up again.  I am currently making a feeble attempt to stay focused for more than a few days and just stick with stuff that doesn't hurt.  I find the heavy presses (especially the single rep stuff) to be a pretty good full body workout anyway, so I'm probably not sacrificing much at this point by focusing there for awhile.

3.  I'm just not too into running lately.  I think a lot of it has to do with our typical freezing cold March and April here in Reno/Tahoe.  Just when the days get longer and you feel like spring is coming we get a bunch of cold storms.  It really kills my running motivation.  I do have a 50k in a month, so I better start getting slightly more serious.

4.  I'm really enjoying reading George's soul searching over on his blog.  Sometimes I read what he is saying and I think I have all of the answers and I just need to give them to him.  Then other times I read what he is saying and it makes me realize how clueless I am about what I'm doing.  I suppose with most things in life, the more you know, the less you know.

But having said that, he has had me thinking about some of the general training thoughts that float through my mind from time to time. 

 - Never ask why.  This is from my friend Steve.  He is the fastest, most competitive runner I know and doesn't race anymore (though he still runs plenty).  He says that once you start asking yourself why the hell you are getting up early to run extra miles and sacrificing other parts of life just to finish in 15th place instead of 20th place in some random race, you will figure out there isn't a great reason and you will stop training so hard. 
-  Given the law of diminishing returns, you can get pretty damn close to your fitness goals with less work than you think (assuming you have been at this for a long time).  That last 1-2% of improved performance probably takes 20-30% of extra training effort to achieve. 
-  Never be afraid to experiment on yourself.  I have a hard time with this myself, but I would like to do a better job of trying different training approaches.  For example, I have wondered if I could run an ultra-marathon on only 2 days/week running.  I need to try more of this stuff.  Measure your current fitness, try something new, test again and see if it worked.  Part of the holdup here for me is age.  I don't want to "waste" precious months on things that might not work, because I won't get those months back.  But I need to get over that thought.
-  Don't worry about what other people do, just do what makes you happy.  The most successful athletes are the ones that do their own thing and don't really care what other people think.  The rest of us try to copy what those successful athletes do.  Instead, find your own way that works for your own life, and enjoy yourself. 

Thoughts on Goals

"Thoughts determine what you want, actions determine what you get" @BrianCainPeak

DB push press 60lb 5 x 5, 75lb x 10 x 1

I tried to push press the 80lb dumbbells at the end of the workout. I couldn't quite get it. It was close though.

That little experiment shows how far away I am from getting my bodyweight (90lb dumbbells) overhead. Even a 10 pound jump in weight is huge. A bodyweight press is a goal I've been thinking about for a few months.

I tend to make two mistakes with fitness goals. The short term mistake is I set the bar too low, reach my goal in a month or two and then move on to something else. The result is no consistent improvement, just a bulletin board of average accomplishments.

The long term mistake is I set the bar higher (which would require a year or more to achieve) and then I get distracted and never follow through. Clearly I would see better improvement if I fixed the longer term problem and stuck with a specific approach and set of goals for a longer period. I'm getting better though. My more consistent running (even though the volume and intensity definitely ebb and flow) is an example of my effort to stick with things longer.

One of my daughters with Pluto.

Run

"A lifetime of seemingly insignificant daily decisions, poorly made, produces almost all of the markers of what we call “old age.” @jfreil

treadmill 6 miles 47:12

Sea level is a beautiful thing. Such an easy run the morning.

Vacation

"The only difference between fear and excitement is your attitude about it." @firmfitness99

DB push press 60lb x 5 x 5, 70lb x 5 x 2, 75lb x 2 x 1
chest press machine
seated leg press machine
hanging knee raises 2 x 25

On vacation. Luckily, there is a brand new 24 hour fitness across the street from the hotel.

Being in a huge gym like that reminds me how limited my weight workouts have become due to my elbow. Which got me thinking -- I am assuming most people are reading this blog because I link to interesting stuff or my occasional stories of my personal idiocy are entertaining.

If so, that's cool. I appreciate you reading because it helps motivate me to get off my rear end and train even when I don't feel like it. My "only post when you've done a workout" rule helps me to keep at it pretty frequently so the blog stays active. I've set a precedent of 5-6 days/week training. If I slack off, you'll know it.

But other than that, my actual workouts are fairly useless to most people. I guess there is some inspiration in the fact that I've proven you can be fairly effective at running ultra marathons on low training mileage. But my weight workouts are so limited by my right elbow that they are a terrible example of how to train. Contrary to the example I am setting currently, I actually have a lot of experience putting together actual well rounded weight training sessions. When I get back I might start posting some just for information.

Wonder where I am?

Just a couple of videos

"You have two options: diet well, look great & accept the price. Or eat crap, look like shit & complain about it. Your call."  @firmfitness99

DB push press 60lb x 15 x 5 (last set 4 + 1)
DB power clean 75lb x 10 x 1


You've probably seen this video/commercial, but I still like it. 




And this one:

Oliver is the Man

"Learn. Evolve. Challenge yourself. Good enough should never be good enough. Without a commitment to improving, life just isn't worth living."@bobbymaximus

DB push press 60lb x 4 x 5, 60lb x 11 x 4
box jump squats 5 x 20

My elbow actually felt good today. It would be nice if that continued.

Below is a picture of Oliver's championship belt. It was really inspiring to hear about his two fights and having to cut weight two days in a row. This involved spending an hour each day in a rubber sweat suit in a hot bathroom to cut 5 pounds of water weight. Now that's commitment.

Just Do Random Stuff Each Day

"Train with a purpose. Otherwise, it's just exercise."  @pdeliverance

DB push press 60lb x 5 x 3
treadmill 5 miles 42:55

Another example on the exercise vs. training/progression topic.  During today's brief shoulder workout, I tried to push press the 75lb dumbbells.  I couldn't get one rep.  On January 27, 2012 I did the following workout:  DB push press 75lb x 2 x 2, 75lb x 18 x 1.  That's not progression, its regression. 

The name of this blog is Consistency Wins.  That might imply that I have learned that consistent, progressive effort will result in improvement over time.  Apparently not, since I'm definitely not applying that principle to my training program.  Maybe I should change the blog's name to - Just Do Random Stuff Each Day.

Another motivational video:

Ugh

"Do not reward yourself with food. You are not a dog."  @denisone90

jump rope 5 min
box squat jumps 8 x 20
plank 2:00, 1:30
wall sit 1:30
DB push press 60lb x 5 x 2

Brutal.  Today definitely fell under the category of "exercise" as opposed to "training". I'm kind of embarrassed to even post it. But the blog is here to keep me honest, even when I suck.

I seem to just be in a training funk lately.  Training should be about progression (i.e. consistently working on something and improving at it).  My work lately has been about activity (i.e. just jumping around and doing junk but not improving).  I need to figure this out somehow and get focused.  It's time to come to grips with the barrier my elbow poses to consistent training.  What I want to do and what I can do are increasingly becoming farther apart.

Love this.  "Motivation is more important than talent when it comes to success."


Good video:

Oliver Wins

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did." (via @firmfitness)

treadmill 6 miles 50:26
jump rope - about 10 minutes working on double unders

I wasn't going to do anything today.  But then I read George's end of month post with his very impressive monthly mileage total (337 miles for the month of March).  Then I did the math on my mileage and realized that I have only run 269 miles all year and I only ran 10 miles last week.  I felt like a wimp, so I figured I better start running more.   

So, 94 miles for March, 269 for the year.  Compared to 74 miles as of this date in 2011 and 118 miles as of this date in 2010.  Hopefully this means something good for the summer. 

More importantly, Oliver won the Ringside Masters World Championship belt yesterday.  Really, really impressive.  I would imagine a good way to focus your training is to get into the ring with some guy who is trying to beat the crap out of you.