Changing habits. Getting lean.

Today, my schedule will be mixed up.  I’ll be lifting at a different time and running later than usual.  Today I have the option of finding a hill for some different running work.  If read a lot of articles in Runners World about hill training, so I’m doing it today.  Full report later.

Inched a little closer to my 10K run weight goal.  191lbs this morning.  Good eating day yesterday.  Six pounds to go to reach my short term goal! 

For those wondering, I ditched the Mcafee software last night after four attempts by their support staff to help me fix the problem.  I downloaded a trial version for my firewall & virus protection.

How often do we slap ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves for the small victories?  The small battles that you fight - and win?  I know that we kick ourselves when we fail, loaf, cheat on eating, etc.

For example, waking up at 5:30 AM to weight train (when you’ve been a "night person" your whole life - dreading the AM hours)?  Yep, that’s a victory for me.

What about telling the folks in your office that you will not participate in their "Major League Baseball Opening Day Pizza Fest" at lunchtime? (which happened today in my office).   Yep, that’s a victory for me.

Let’s not forget the five miles that were pounded out an hour ago out on the trail.  Indeed, that is a victory in my book.

We go through weight training, dieting/food management, cardio day after day… but when do we stop and say "good job today, that really did rock!"?

Anyway, today was a good day.

5:30 AM Chest workout in the basement

6:15 AM Major problem downloading McAfee Virus Scan and Firewall - totally messing up my home pc (wife not happy).

Noon Telling my co-workers to get lost with their pizza frenzy

3:15 PM - 5 miles on the trail

Message to everyone:  "Pat yourself on the back!  Claim your small victories!" 

ok, first of all, my nose is stuffed up, then runny, now stuffed up again.  not very nice for running/exercise.

forgot to log in my cardio session at the Y for yesterday afternoon.  got in some ellip & recum bike for 25 mins.  then ab oblique with db.

on to today…  shoulder workout in the basement this morning & 4.25 mile run this afternoon in the sunshine.

because of a morning meeting at work, i woke at 5:30 AM this morning for my chest workout.  i am a recovering "night person" who has rarely set the alarm for an early morning workout.  so, this is huge progress for me.

good workout with flat bench chest press, incline, decline, flys, and push ups.  cardio later today.

Nearly had a heart attack this morning when our alarm went off.  I used my wife’s radio alarm and didn’t turn down the buzzer.   This reason for this is that her radio and pick up our XM signal better than my radio, and I like to fade off to sleep with some nice jazz music)  Anyway… Whoa!  I nearly jumped out of bed.  That thing was loud.

I grabbed my mug of joe and hit the basement for my arm workout.  3 exercises for biceps and 2 for triceps.

I then escaped work around 3:30 for a 3 mile run in some decent weather.  Not too bad for mid-week.  I’ll take it.

I might be getting a new Ipod Shuffle tonight because my wife has claimed my Rio Cali Sport mp3 player.  She’s a runner freak and I am in training to become a runner freak (just want to burn more fat).  So we like our tunes when we’re running.

Well, today my 22 minutes on the stairmill (interval option) was made a ton easier due to the fact that I got to watch a thrilling debate on the tv monitor.  The US House of Reps was debating some funding authorization bill on rail/transportation security.  Stimulating!!!  Thank goodness I had my Rio Cali Sport.  Anyway, cardio plus Abs this afternoon.

I needed a good day today.  My scale was not my friend this morning.  The birthday cake and ice cream…. and pizza, … and (you get the point) from this past weekend caught up with me.  Need to make up that ground!

On the difficult to wake up index, this morning was very hard.  with 10 being the hardest, today was a 6 or 7.  but i did get to the basement to work on my back.

What we did today…

Seated Cable Row 4 sets

Pull ups

Wide grip Lat Pull Down 3 sets

Single Arm DB Row Up 3 sets
Ezbar Bent Over Row 3 sets

Close Grip Lat Pull Down 3 sets
Straight Arm Cable Pull Down 3 sets

To the shower and work we go…

hit the trail this afternoon for a nice 4 mile run.  beautiful weather.  back at it tomorrow morning.

Nice shoulder workout this morning.  a little heavier in the weights, hardly any shoulder pain on the left side.  not healed 100% though.

Huge negative on my eating over the weekend.  birthday activity on saturday.  yesterday, no excuses.  i’ll weigh in on tomorrow to see the damage.

hope to get out mid afternoon for a nice run.

Sick child throughout the night, multiple wake ups.  Also drank a lot of water late Friday evening which means at least two trips to the restroom.  So the overnight was full of interruptions.  However, slept in until 8:00 AM and then hit the basement for legs and biceps.

Legs: Squats, Extensions, Curls (4 sets each)

Biceps: Bench Incline Reverse Position thing, Concentration Curls, Reverse Plate Curls

An hour later I hit the streets for a 3 mile run.  I’m probably going to sign up for a 8K trail run in April.  Then I have my 10K in May.  So, must get the running attitude cranked up with goals clearly set.

If I wouldn’t have had the cake and ice cream for one of our other children today, it would have been close to perfect for diet.  The scale was SWEET to me this morning, but we’ll see if it holds true over the next few days before I log it in.