The Road to Ultra

Been awhile since my last post, I know.

But don’t think a lot hasn’t happened!

After a few all-night sessions, I must admit I did miss a few workouts. However, I also made it to the pool a few times. I lugged pounds and pounds of equipment into and out of a data center. In short, I wasn’t suffering from lack of activity.

We are one week away from our Orlando vacation. Looking forward to it! We’ll actually be seeing my parents as well as spending time at the theme parks. It’s going to be a fun trip.

Of course with two businesses to take care of, I’ve been doing a lot of preparation for the trip. I published a few new articles at the site, finished the Weight Loss Mindset series and even managed to add a few old blog posts to The Weight Loss Vault.

I don’t recall if I shared here or not, but a few weeks ago, my car died. When I was running my business from the house, we only needed one vehicle. After moving to Florida, we decided we’d need something more that gets us from “point A to point B” but we wanted to pay cash. I ended up with a 1994 Eagle Vision. It’s like an Accord that breaks down a lot. After a new transmission, cracked this and that, repair of these and replacement of those, the car was turning into a real money pit. While rushing to get to one of my daughter’s events it simply died on me. Timing belt and expensive repairs translated to one thing: sending it to the scrap heap.

This weekend is our anniversary weekend. My wife and I have had nine wonderful years together. I’ve heard people say, “Oh, it’s typical to get in fights and have some ups and downs in a marriage.” While we certainly have ups and downs, we don’t find. We have differences but then we are always able to laugh about it. I can say I’ve watched people struggle around us, have counseling, complain that they don’t trust their spouse and everything else, and it only makes me feel more blessed to have the relationship I have. My wife is my best friend and we don’t have to keep anything separate - nine years of every year better than the last, and many more will come.

Seriously, I know it seems easy to say after receiving my anniversary gift, but I mean it - car or no car.

Yes, car!

I received a new car. My very first car that I bought in 1995 was a Honda Civic EX, so it’s only fitting that now 12 years later I’ve come full circle. The new one is zippy, fuel efficient (40mpg on the interstate), intuitive and has ultra-low emissions. No, it’s not a hybrid but it’s pretty good for what it does. I was actually excited to go into the office yesterday to drive it. It is good timing as well … with our drive to Orlando coming up, we’ll take this one and save quite a bit on fuel!

The other thing we did this week was run out and grab a tub of Beverly Int. Ultra Size, 2 Lbs 3 Oz, Chocolate — yes, Ultra Size! If you are wondering what the best tasting shake is, you obviously haven’t tried Ultra Size. I have yet to find anyone who’s tasted it and doesn’t absolutely love it. My wife and daughter were both excited - in fact, my daughter’s breakfast this morning was a scoop of ultra size mixed with a spoonful of all-natural peanut butter. My wife and I made “mocha pudding” with Ultra Size and coffee after our workout/pool trip.

I had a nice workout - did an ad hoc arms, chest, shoulders, and back workout, then met with my wife and daughter at the pool and came home with them. It’s been interesting training “instinctively” for a few weeks. I’ve never done this before although I’ve had friends who swear by it. I decided it would fit my hectic schedule so I’ll give it a spin for a few months and see where I end up. So far I’ve enjoyed it and it’s nice to get that big pump after a good workout.

It’s back to preparations for the trip. Will focus on hitting the treadmill and getting a few new workouts in, and plan to train a few times during vacation as well. For everyone in the U.S., enjoy your Memorial Day in the U.S. and God bless those who sacrificed for our freedom.

Warmly,

Jeremy Likness

Originally posted: Civic and Ultra Size

Today’s Run: 2.14
Run Time: 20 minutes (9:21 minutes per mile)
Total Miles to Date: 549.4m

Thoughts on the Run:

Butterscotch.

The 13" rabbit was packaged, bundled, and snugly tucked into a box. It waited, patiently, as we were introduced to each Brownie and heard their accomplishments for the year. There was a slide show and then the awards were presented. The rabbit was pulled from the box and presented to my daughter along with a shirt, pen, towel, dance mat, radio cooler, and the other "loot" she earned for her contributions to the troop.

The first name she mentioned was "Shortbread." The name lasted for a few hours, but somehow the word, "Butterscotch" kept slipping out and she decided it was a sign to change the name.

After a few all-night stints to build out a new data center and finish some software for my wireless business, I managed to slip out to the meeting for a few hours and mingle with the other parents and their beaming daughters. Afterwards, we headed to the pool. I vowed that I would not be getting wet but the hot sun and cool water beckoned, along with the splashes and smiles of my daughter. I dove in and spent some time but then she linked up with other friends and was occupied. I swam a bit more then relaxed with my wife and read some back-issues of the Wall Street Journal.

It was nice to spend a few quiet moments and just relax and read.

Then it was back to - lots to do.

While this week would have been busy (yet productive) no matter what other events were looming on the horizon, the fact that I’ll be heading down to Orlando for a long vacation does create some additional tasks to wrap up before I leave. With the wireless business I have a major software version to manage, customer management, team management, infrastructure deployment, and recruiting while with the health and wellness business there are articles to write and questions to load for the popular Question of the Day Google gadget.

I’ve really been in the zone lately … despite a lot of hours, they are productive and fun hours and it is rewarding to see the businesses grow. Both are on a strong upward spiral and it feels great to be a part of that. I am looking forward to vacation more to collect my thoughts and set my goals.

Yes, I’m human … so with the lack of sleep and everything else going on, I did skip workouts. Yes, my nutrition did slide as well - I had a stronger than usual craving for ice cream and rum and indulged. Now that’s in the past and this morning I focused on the future: a trip downstairs to hit the treadmill. A little bit faster than the past few weeks.

Those 20 minutes are perfect for reflection and I watched in wonder as my schedule for the coming year materialized before me. It was more of a subconscious organization of thoughts than a conscious effort, but in the end I felt what I should do and it felt right.

My goal will be to train for fat loss and muscle gain through the summer, as I have been. Focus on improving nutrition and claim some time back from those longer runs. Then, I’m going to repeat my series that I did this year: the Awesome Alpharetta 10K, the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon, and the ING Full Marathon. That means I start my distance training in the fall. I will be running races that I am familiar with and I’ll know what to expect. I’m setting a 9 - 10 - 12 goal. I think it makes sense.

10K @ 9 minutes per mile = 56 minutes.
1/2 Marathon @ 10 minutes per mile = 2 hours 10 minutes
1 Marathon @ 11 minutes per mile = 5 hours 15 minutes

Too slow? Too fast? Probably a little of both but this year I just need to go the distance. I’ve had a few fallouts and turns in directions I didn’t like this year, so next year I’m not going out blazing with all guns firing but with a mission to complete it, do it well, and stick to training.

This is exciting as well because I can schedule out training for a full year - into March of next year. Then I may try the Twisted Ankle again and based on those runs decide whether it makes sense to go for my ultramarathon debut in 2008 or do another cycle and hit it in 2009.

After my run I had a lovely bowl of oats that my wife prepared with organic brown sugar and cinnamon along with a Cuban coffee.

It’s just two weeks and then we head down to Orlando. My daughter is seven and looking forward to it. She is home schooled and just finished her last classes as well as closed out her year as a girl scout. As part of her responsibilities, she helped plan this trip. She researched the various sites available, looked for discounts and other options, and decided she didn’t want to just do rides at Disney but would rather have the experience of going to Sea World, Universal Studios, and Wunderwerks. She even scheduled a few days of rest for us. On Friday we’ll have a dinner with some online friends from JohnStoneFitness.com and then head to St. Petersburg, Florida where my parents live. A few days with them and then back here.

Time is flying. It is amazing that summer is already here … it’ll be fall before we know it!

Take care,

Jeremy Likness

Originally Posted: Butterscotch

Bouncing Pecs Today’s Run: 2.11
Run Time: 00:20:00 (9:29 minute mile)
Total Miles to Date: 547.3

Thoughts on the Run:

Okay, probably not the most pleasant title. However, I had an incredible workout yesterday. I’m still following the principles of an induction workout (20-rep sets, first 10 are explosive, last 10 are slow tempo, in this case 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down). My chest muscles were SORE today!

The first thing that I noticed when stepping onto the treadmill was that every bounce had my chest hurting. But … that’s why do this, right?

After a few minutes I was warmed up and doing well. In fact, I’m glad I ran because afterwards my body was a lot less sore. Had some great cycles at 5.1mph/6.1mph/etc etc … advanced just a slight .1 miles per hour but those increases will add up over time.

I’ve been incorporating more fruit and vegetables into my nutrition program. Starting out slow but eventually want to build up to several servings per day. Right now I’m bringing fruit like apples into the office for an afternoon snack (one of these with my wife’s awesome home made high fiber bran muffins is delicious). Increasing protein a bit by having more breakfasts with eggs than oats or whole wheat bread and also bringing in chicken, steak, etc for lunch.

Looking forward a run on the mountain this weekend. Last weekend it rained the day I was going to go and the next day I spent with my daughter at an event with her home school group … it was a "world’s fair" and we had a great time.

Until next time,

Jeremy Likness

Originally Posted: Bouncing Pecs

Today’s Run: 4.15m
Run Time: 40:00
Total Miles to Date: 545.2

Thoughts on the Run:

This morning was "double trouble." I performed the same interval workout that I did on Tuesday, but doubled the intervals. In other words, instead of maintaining 7mph for 1 minute, I would sustain it for 2 minutes before going onto the next interval. It was fun, exciting, and I really enjoyed the workout. It looks like my foot is doing well … I have some slight pain afterwards but nothing major and no pain during the run. I knocked it out doing the 5/6/7/8 cycles and it was fun during the 4 minutes that started out at 8mph and then going to my "super-interval" of 9mph. I’m excited to think that while next week is just a tiny little 0.1 mph increase (i.e. 5.1mph/6.1mph/etc) that in 10 weeks that will be a full mph increase and my fastest interval will be 10mph.

For those international readers:

5mph = 8kph, 10 mph = 16kph.

The run was even more interesting because my arms weren’t doing so well. Last night I mentioned noodle arms. Today they weren’t noodles … they simple hurt. I apparently did a good number on my biceps and triceps because the muscles around my elbow joint are flaring at the slightest movement.

Wow I didn’t realize I missed hitting the weights so much. I’ll hit them again tomorrow and then Saturday do a nice 5 - 6 mile run on the mountain.

Having fun,

Jeremy

Originally posted: Double Trouble

This morning I did another resistance workout.

This time I focused on military press and one-armed rows, combined with triceps extensions and curls. My arms feel like noodles. It’s fun to be training with resistance again.

I look forward to a fast run tomorrow on the treadmill … I’m going to do my intervals but double them (2 minute intervals instead of 1 minute) for a 40 minute workout. Looking forward to it. Perhaps I’ll pick up a few 5K runs … there is a local one coming up July 4th.

Feeling terrific.

Time to go watch Lost.

Jeremy

Originally posted: Noodle Arms

Okay, so I’m admitting a little bit of defeat.

My goal was to run some distance this weekend, but there was no wind in my sails. The thunderstorms didn’t make the mountain feasible and I could use other excuses but the timing just wasn’t right. I feel like I’ve been trying to force a square peg into a round hole and am going against what my body needs.

The two biggest issues right now are strength and time. Interesting combination?

Strength … I know in part some of my issues are because I’m not resistance training, and I’ve been scrambling to get this in but my schedule has been such that I end up doing my runs and that’s it. I decided to change that this morning. I woke up and wandered down to the local clubhouse. I used to have a full home gym. Before moving to our beach house on St. Pete Beach, Florida, we knew that we didn’t want to pay for storage (we had not clue if we’d be staying in Florida or not … turns out not) and had no room for the weight set, so I ended up donating it to a Christian school in Minnesota. They drove eight hours to Lead, South Dakota to pick up the set … great group of people and I hope it is serving them well.

The clubhouse has some dumbbells and a universal system. Doesn’t really phase me, I’m not looking to squat records out the gate, just move my joints and resist some weight.

I tackled what I refer to as an induction workout (can’t take credit for it, learned it through my ISSA certification). Basically it involves longer-than-usual sets and is designed for either beginners or someone starting back after a lay off.

The premise is simple: pick a weight that you can perform 20 repetitions at. Not just any repetitions, but a special format. The first 10 are done explosively, i.e. with acceleration but still controlled. Without any rest you immediately move into the last 10 repetitions at a slower pace - for this workout I chose three seconds up and then three seconds down. So 10 fast, 10 slow.

It was a great workout - I hit all major groups. Nothing fancy like arm curls, just the basics - legs, bench, military press, pull-down, etc. I only did one set each because I’m feeling where I’m at, but I sense this will become a habit.

The second factor was time. Long runs take a long time. With a family, helping build a technology business while running my own … those runs end up taking a lot of time out. I found I was dreading them not for the runs themselves, but for the time they took. Now understand to an extent this is an excuse. I could certainly roll out at the crack of dawn and run 4 hours and still be home before the family wakes up, but I just wasn’t ready for that.

Does this mean no more ultra?

No way, as I said, I’m just learning where I’m at and how to pace myself. I need to have more consistency first, then introduce other factors. So I’m going to roll down to the basement tomorrow and do a high intensity interval training session instead of my normal steady paced run. I want to focus on some strength and cutting down some fat and then build my mileage up over a longer time frame … I think I was pushing too hard to do too much too fast.

I feel good about my choice. I’ll keep you posted.

Warmly,

Jeremy Likness

Originally posted: Hitting the Weights