A good sign

The last two days I’ve had pretty good workouts. Tuesday I did a portion of the circuit workout and ran a decent bit. My pull ups and chin ups are improving as are the dips.

I’m thinking of joining a gym the last month prior so I can do my bench press on an actual bench press instead of doing the dumbbell press. My strength there is improving, but I can only go so far without a bar.

Yesterday I had another strong run. I went two miles without any achilles pain up until the last minute or so, which was up a hill. Even that pain was more in the calf, so I’ll know for sure in a week if I’m out of the woods on the tendonitis issues. If I am, my next task will be improving my time and lengthening the distance.

Off Day(s)

So today I’m off. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were big workout days. Friday I did all the events and managed to improve on most of my numbers. The biggest deal was lifting the 55lb. dumbbells for the bench press.

My pull ups and chin ups are slowly inching up as well. In three months, I should be ready.

I ran a bit on Friday and ran even more on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, my leg began acting up pretty bad about a mile into the runs on the final two days. So today is a rest day.

I plan to run and do the entire workout again tomorrow, but I’m worried about whether I can even do the long run and if I’ll ever be able to run normal again.  I’m taking it slow and hopefully I’ll start to see some improvement soon.

I head back to the doctor next Tuesday. I’ll know more at that time. For now, I’m going to keep pushing along, lifting, running and hoping.

Weather issues

Sometimes you can’t win. All summer and fall, we’ve been in a drought with unseasonably hot weather. The day I begin training everything changed.

It snowed last week. Twice. It’s rained, and this morning the temperature was 18. So now I’m trying to keep on my workout schedule while at the same time trying to stay out of the rain and snow. Who would’ve thought?

I didn’t work out yesterday, and today is tight with time, so I’ll do what I can. Tomorrow(barring rain or snow) will be the second full circuit workout. Sunday I plan to run for two miles, if my achilles can handle it.

As for the pullups, I’m going to start doing up to four sets for the next few weeks in the hopes of gaining the strength I need. It’s an idea I found in Men’s Health, so we’ll see how it works out.

Here’s to a productive weekend!

A New Day

Yesterday, I ran. I ran for the first time in five years without pain. I’ll get into that in the next post, but for now, I’m just happy that I ran.

I also did my circuit workout to get ready for the challenge. My dumbbell press improved and I’m now doing the 50s at about 10-12 reps at a time with little to no help. On Sunday I hope to add a little weight. Not much.

My shoulder press remained at 60 total pounds, but I did two sets of 8 and 9 reps. I think I’ll be at the goal weight of 70 pounds in no time.

The dips are still my top exercise. I managed a first set of 15 and a set at the end of the workout of 12.  That’s one exercise I can scratch off my list.

However, my pull ups and chin ups are still lacking. Five and four respectively yesterday. That’s not even close to the 15 I need for each. There’s still three months to go, but it’s going to be tough to hit the marks.

Overall, it was a good, solid workout since I incorporated the run into it. Today will be a light day of cardio on a stationary bike before tomorrow’s circuit and run workout.

Slowly but surely…

Monsters, feet and Pain

Thursday was an off day for me, and that night a bunch of went and saw Cloverfield. There’s only word to describe the experience(and it is an experience): exhilirating.

 You stop breathing during some scenes and others you can’t seem to let go of the armrests. When the movie finally does end, all you can say is “wow.”

 This review is brief and vague for a reason. It’s best to go in not knowing anything more than a monster is attacking New York. There are plenty of surprises in store, and once the attack begins, there’s no holding back.

The shaky camera thing can be a problem. But if you can live with it, it adds a dimension of authenticity to the movie that is unparalleled. This is one that can’t be missed.

 Back to the challenge: I bought running shoes yesterday. They weren’t cheap, but the podiatrist said they’d help me run again given my achilles problems. I braved the cold and hit the road and made it about a mile.

 It wasn’t much, but it was something. The achilles pain started up, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s because I haven’t run in years or because the tendonitis is still there. I’ll know more tomorrow once I take the shoes out for a spin again.

 As for the workouts, today was a little light since I was still sore from Friday’s workout. I cut out the dips, chin ups and pull ups, but did two sets each of the dumbbell press and shoulder press. I also threw in some biceps exercises and a pushup variation. Overall, it was a good workout.

 Tomorrow is another run and Tuesday will be another circuit day with all the exercises. It’ll be a good barometer of where I’m at in my training. Right now, I’m confident I’ll be ready when the challenge starts in three months.

Off to the Races(Almost)

Good news! My foot doctor gave me the go ahead to start running provided a wear a special sock at night and buy a particular brand of shoe that will give me the right support. The sock keeps my foot in proper place at night so it’s ready to go when I get up in the morning.

Yesterday was a cardio day for me and today I’m off given that I’m going to a midnight showing of “Cloverfield” tonight.

Back to the challene…I got the full rules and it’s pretty intense. You go to each of the exercises(dips, bench press body weight, shoulder press 50% of body weight, pull ups chin ups) and have three minutes to do as many reps in one set. When you stop you move to the next exercise and have three minutes. The key is to use some of the three minutes to rest.

At the end of the cycle, you head to the starting line for the race and get started.

I hope to have my new running shoes sometime next week. If all goes well, I’ll be ready on April 26th!

Day 1: Workout and a Check Under the Hood

In the challenge I have to do as many bench presses, dips, pull ups, chin ups and shoulder presses as possible in one set each. Then there is a 3 mile run. So tonight I wanted to see where I was at in several of the strength events as I plan my workout for the next 3 months.

I did dips last night in and did pretty well getting in 20, 15 and 23 in three sets.

Tonight I did a single arm dumbbell press to see where my bench press is right now. I don’t have a bench so the single arm dumbbell is my best exercise. I need to be able to lift my body weight at the competition so each arm needs to be able to lift about 75 pounds.

The good news is that I did 45 pounds at three sets each of 12, 15 and 15 reps. It’s still far from the 75, but the high reps mean I can add some weight on my next day of lifting.

My shoulder press tonight was pretty good. I need to lift 75 pounds and I did 60 tonight, but only 3 sets of 6 reps each.

I’ll hit the park later this week and get an idea of my limits at the chin up and pull ups. Overall, I’ve got a good foundation for the challenge. I plan to be ready to lift!

On another side, the running worries me. I grew up a runner and five years ago began training for a half marathon when  I discovered I have a pronation in my right foot that pretty much took me out of the game. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to get fitted for orthotics that should fix it. We’ll see.

Check back on Thursday for the rules of the challenge and my personal goals.

Friday I’ll have a review of Cloverfield.

Welcome!

This blog will be about two things(mostly): Getting/Staying Fit and Geek Stuff.

For starters, In 101 days I’ll be heading down to Savannah for the Strength and Endurance Challenge. Each day I’ll be posting my workouts as well as my motivations and my goals. I’ll also link to interesting fitness stories and more.

I’m also a huge geek. So huge that on Thursday night I’m heading to a midnight showing of “Cloverfield.” I’ll be posting movie and book reviews, opinions and more.

All feedback is welcome. Special thanks to my lovely wife for setting up this blog.