mlandis’s BodyBlog

This should have been a running day, but I didn’t feel up to it, so I decided to mix it up.  I hit the speed bag 200 times per hand, jumped rope 1100 times, then grapped 30lb dumbbells, hit the floor and did 30 presses, then 25 flies.  Rolled over and did pushups till I couldn’t do anymore.  Thats it.

Doesn’t sound like much of a workout but I’m feeling it. 

Ran the 1/2 marathon in Akron this morning. The weather was perfect, cool and over-cast.   My time was respectable, 1:53:55 I could have pulled a lower time but I was running with a friend. I stayed with her till the last mile, then picked it up. I think I’m kind of 1/2′d out though, I would like to run one more for time, try to hit the 1:45 mark or lower but might focus on 10k’s from here on out. 

Have to see what the winter brings.

Whew feeling weak.  The begining of the summer I seemed to be able to run 10 miles without issue.  Last Sunday I went out for a 10 miler and by the end I was feeling ok but as the day went on I seemed to get sore and stiff.  I haven’t had that feeling in the legs since I ran a marathon last October. 

This afternoon I did 35 flights of stairs and super set an upper-body workout. Then tonight I played 90 minutes of tennis. The tennis seemed rough, I didn’t seem to have the control of my hits or the hussle to get the balls hit to the corners. 

These things on there  own isn’t a bad thing. I look and feel much better then I did when I was only running.  But I have a 1/2 marathon on the 26th and the Urbanathalon on Oct 18th.  

I’ve really cut back on carbs, I wondering if I should do a carb load for a few weeks and see if my stamina comes back.

Also I’ve caught myself surfing the Misc and getting drawn into some immature converstations instead of reading up on helpful topics in the forums built for bodybuilding and fitness.   Not that the misc is that bad, it serves a purpose and some of the topics are interesting, but over-all it is more those looking for attention or looking to tear innocent people down. 

Right now I need to keep focused, read the positive posts and my eye on the finish line.

Today is a bad/good day. 

My son wrecked my truck in June, hit a tree trying to avoid a tractor pulling a hay wagon, it had some damage to the right front end.  Well today I’m driving to meet someone to go for a run and suddenly there is a loud clunk and the truck pulled to the right.  I got out and looked and nothing seemed wrong.  I was close to the park so I nursed it there, went on the run and then had it towed back to the place that fixed the damage from the wreck.

So now I’m going to be without a truck for a few days, but that will force me to get on my bicycle and ride to work that way.  I need to ride the bike more. 

The good part is this is a good workout day, got 7 miles in this morning while it was still cool.  Now it is warming up nicely, suppose to get close to 90!  Going to be warm since I don’t have a/c but I still plan on doing a normal lift and include a pull-up routine.

At the begining of the year I made a goal  to end the summer with an additional 8 lbs added to my frame.  I have been eating well drinking pre and post shakes after workouts.  Dropped my cardio down and increased the weight training, started watching my diet much more closely then I have since high school wrestling which was over 25 years ago.  All this has produced results too.  But the results are not what I have expected. I have dropped about 8 - 10 lbs depending on the day. My weight has awalys fluctuated 1 to 2 lbs.

Anyone see Time’s article on exercise?  What a laugh.  I’m guessing most people only read far enough into the article to justify not exercising.  The article also sounds like it was wrote by someone who says they do one thing, like exercise and eat right, but really do another, like half-ass workout and chocolate cake as a reward for driving to the gym.

The statistics are bunk too.  You can have a 100% of the population belong to a gym and go every day and still be fat.  Numbers don’t tell you how much effort the person is putting into their workout.  They could be doing a slow pace on the tread mill for 20 minutes or they could be training to PR their next 5k, two different results will occur from two different workouts.

You have to read down a few paragraphs to find out that junk food is bad for the waistline….hmmm is that a new discovery?  

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090806/hl_time/08599191485700

On vacation this week but not going far.  My son will be a senior this year so we are starting to look at schools, I want him to start thinking about where he wants to go once he graduates.  This week we are going to Bowling Green and Hiram, both are in Ohio and not a very long drive from where we live.  My son is much smarter then I was at his age so I think he will do much better in school then I did.  There has been some changes at home and I want to keep him focused on his future and not the present.

Workout wise I’ve been slacking on my running and I need to start getting some serious running in.  I have a 1/2 marathon coming up at the end of September then the Urbanathalon Middle of October.  I’m not slacking though, I’m doing fitness classes 2 - 3 times a week, a couple 3.5 mile runs and then once a week I play tennis for 2 hours on a league.  Might start playing tennis two days a week if I can work out a schedule with a friend of mine.

My diet has been up and down lately, letting some stress get to me and I find that greasy food seems to be calling me more and more.  But I have found that after eating crap I feel like crap, so now I go down the basement and hit the speed bag and heavy bag.  Starting to get good rythme on the speed bag and it really helps burn the stress out of me.  Maybe I should see if they have a seniors boxing tour. LOL.

Today was a good workout day,  At 11:30 I had a good ab workout, followed by a 4 mile run at around a 7:40 pace.    Then tonight rode the bicycle over to the tennis courts, not a far ride, about 2 miles.  Played tennis for 2 hours then biked home.

For tennis I fill my water bottle with water and mix in some creatine, seems to help keep me going as the sets grow long.

Yesterday we had the Matthew 25 Fun Run 5k race and I’m happy to say that it was a modest success.  We only had 31 runners and a handful of walkers show up, but everyone had a good time and there were no compliants and great suggestions on how to make the race even better.  The volunteers were fantastic and without them we never would have been able to put on the race.

We raised $1400 for the Matthew 25 Coalition, and that is what it is really about; providing resources so Matthew 25 can help those in need.  I look forward to growing the event three-fold next year.  So mark your calender for June 26th 2010 and start training now!

Weekend is starting out good…and interesting.  My son came home from spending the night with a friend with 4 baby possums.  The mother was killed and they were in the pouch.  Zoos won’t take them because they are "wild" animals.  Might be an interesting weekend trying to feed them plus finding a place that will  take.

Just finished a undisciplined Sat morning workout, 15 minutes on heavy bag and speed bag then some benching and curls.  Took the weights to fatigue, not the best workout but still something.  Planning on some tennis later in the day.

Remember, this is Memorial weekend. 

Take a minute during your picnics and celebrating the start of summer to remember those that have fallen in service to our country.  Don’t worry about politics, just or unjust wars, or any other beliefs you may have, this weekend isn’t about that, it is about remembering someone that has died in the service of our country.