The Rains Come

The tornado that swept through Atlanta was only a thunderstorm here on Friday. But today was bad. We had rain, wind, hail, more rain, more wind and, well you get the idea. My wife was called into work (she’s a reporter at a radio station), and we spent most of the day huddled in there as she gave live reports. I spent my time keeping an eye on the twisting clouds and helping people use her station as shelter.

A tornado did touch down here, but there wasn’t too much damage. The park where I run though was pretty well flooded. Several roads were flooded as well, and a bridge near our home was nearly overtaken by the water’s sudden surge.

As bad as it was, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Nobody was seriously hurt and eventually the sky turned blue again.  

I’m trying to keep my workoout fresh by tossing in new exercises. Because the pullups are the only real biceps I haven’t been doing too much for them, focusing more on the chest, shoulders and triceps exercises. But I’ve added some curls and variations to give me a kick and because I should be doing them anyway.

Tomorrow I’ll go running, or swimming, depending on how much of the water has dried up at the park on the trail.

I’m officially ready for baseball. I’ll probably watch Bull Durham in the next week or so, which is my annual tradition. I watch it at the beginning of the season and right as the season draws to a close. The movie is all about new beginnings, inevitable endings and everything in between.

Lost

Lost last night…wow. I pegged Sun as one of the Oceanic 6, and I also had Jin not making it back. But the way it played out…wow. Next week is the last episode until April 24. I’m not sure what to do for that month.

I did go running yesterday, a hard run some high tempo runs up hills and down a few streets. I probably pushed it too hard since my Achilles in both legs were aching at the end. I’m not too worried. I’m chalking it up to the four miles on Tuesday and the hard run yesterday. I won’t be running again until Sunday.

Today I’ll hit the weights. I’d like one more day at 63 with the dumbbell press before I add any more weight.  I’ve been thinking more and more about my goal for the event. I hate that there are no weight classes and only two age groups. However, I’m not in it to win, just to do well.

My goal now is a 2.8 or up. It’s definitely attainable, and I’d love to hit 3. But that might be a bit too far away.

Tired…

Yesterday was a pretty long day filled with some highs, a few lows and many hours. I finally hit the weights around 9 last night. Overall, it went pretty well. I did 63 pounds in each arm for the dumbbell press. My first set was 11 reps, and I pushed out two more smaller sets. My shoulder press of 76 total pounds is just about the right number, so now I’m just trying to increase the reps. I threw in three sets of chair dips(30, 25, 20) and finished with some biceps curls.

Today I’m going to do some half-mile fast runs to build up my speed. Tomorrow I’ll probably hit the weights again and take Saturday off since it’s supposed to rain.

The Thrashers are killing me. They fire their coach(bad move) keep their GM(worse move) and still keep saying the team is improving(just dumb). I’m so ready for baseball. The Braves are run well and no what it takes to win.

Lost should be great tonight since it leads into next week’s half-season finale. The Oceanic 6 should be revealed soon and we find out who is on the boat. Hint: it probably rhymes with Nichael.

Mission Accomplished

Not in George W. Bush way either. I hit the four mile mark yesterday on a long, winding, hilly road near where I live. It was a bit of a rough course given the number of hills and their size. The course is an out-and-back, which meant the first quarter mile was all downhill but the last quarter mile was all uphill.

The course was about 4.1-4.2 miles long and I finished in just over 39 minutes. It wasn’t a good time by any means, but it took the first mile for my legs to warm up and I ran the last half of the course faster than the first part.

The best part was how I felt afterward. There was almost no pain in my Achilles in either leg despite the number of hills and the distance. That alone made it a great run.

Because the challenge is only a month or so away, I won’t be doing any more long runs. Instead I’ll be doing some speed work and 3 mile runs on alternate run days. Today I’ll go back to the weights.

I’m feeling strong, a little tired, but ready to kick my training into high gear.

Addictions

I think I’ll make this a weekly Tuesday column looking at my latest addictions.

Right now, I’m really addicted to running. On my run days, it’s all I can think about all day. I look forward to hitting the pavement, to popping in my iPod and seeing how far I can go. The off days are miserable. All I can think about is hitting the pavement, popping in my iPod and  … Probably next week I’ll start adding an extra day of running to my program, but right now I’m really focusing on the challenge that arrives in just over a month.

I’m also addicted to MayMyRun, thanks to one of my blog friends, who mentioned it the other day. I spent too much time on it yesterday figuring out exactly how far I ran on Sunday and plotting my course for today.

Opening Day is just around the corner, and that means fantasy baseball. I’m pretty sure that’ll be on my addiction list for next week.

Keepin’ On

I had a pretty good weekend. I worked out Saturday after unexpectedly taking Friday off. I stayed home(it snowed here) and pumped out three sets each of by dummbell press, shoulder press, Arnold 21s, dips and EZ bar curls. I also did a set of 25 pushups and a back exercise that I have no idea what it is called.

I had another run Sunday, this one about 3.5 miles that included some good hills. I had only slight pain toward the end, so I chalk it up as a success. It’s a slow, steady recovery, but a recovery nonetheless. I’m still hopeful I can one day hit double digits with my runs, but I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. My goal since I was in college was to run a marathon, but back then I didn’t have all these problems.

Outside of working out, I’ve been getting ready for my fantasy baseball drafts. It’s been too long since I’ve won, so I’m coming out swinging this year.

Turning the Corner?

So Lost last night was pretty great. Nobody on television is creepier than Ben. And that includes Donald Trump.

I ran yesterday with the understanding that I would be in pain at the 2 mile mark. But a funny thing happened: there was no pain. My achilleseses(?) were fine.  I had some pain toward the end, but the fact that the run lasted 28 minutes was a very good sign. I’m still not convinced everything’s better, but maybe I’m headed that way.

Tonight will be the weights and tomorrow a light run.

Baseball season is just weeks away. My wife and I are going to Atlanta’s opening day. Opening Day in baseball is quite an event. The possibilities are endless. Even the Marlins can have hope in April. Well, maybe not the Marlins. But pretty much everybody else.

The lull

I ran yesterday. There was a good deal of pain but I’m trying to remain optimistic. I’ve got two weeks to get rid of the pain. Right now, I just don’t think I’m going to do the physical therapy. That’s a lot of time I just don’t have.

It’s weird being at this spot. I used to be able to run. Then I couldn’t. Now I can. Soon I may have to stop again. I feel a little bit like John Locke. Not that one. The one stuck on an island that has mysterious properties. If I do have to stop running, that’ll be fine. But I’m hoping that the pain will fade away.

Tonight I’ll do my full workout with the exception of the pullups and chinups. But I’m adding a few exercises. I’m in a bit of a lull right now since I’m through with the beginning stages of working out, but I’m not at the last minute workouts before the actual event. I think my workout change tonight will keep me motivated.

I was sad to see Brett Favre retire. He was one of the most fun guys to watch. The guy played through plenty of pain and always seemed to smile even on some tough days. The Falcons will be figuring out their quarterback situation soon. Here’s hoping they find someone with the same grit of Favre.

Great News

Well, the doctor said my Achilles on both legs are fine. No possibility of rupturing. He told me to keep running and it should get better. I’ll go back in two weeks and worse case is I get a little physical therapy.

I really wanted to go running today. I woke up early just go for a jog. But it’s pouring. It’s supposed to continue all day. So today I’ll workout at home after work. Tomorrow I’ll run.

I signed up for fantasy baseball yesterday. My draft is in just a few weeks. I can’t wait.

Running Worries and Molly and Lo-Pan

I ran yesterday and it was bad. I finished two miles with the last half mile in pain in both achilles(achilli? achilleses? achillium?) That’s why I have a podiatrist appointment tomorrow. Today will be the circuit workout, but I’m doing it at home with some additional exercises. Mondays are tough for me because of my schedule so I try to do my workout at home.

Tomorrow morning I plan a short run before the doctor just so I can tell him exactly what’s going on.

I was at Wal-Mart yestreday and saw a CD I never expected. The band Sponge is back. Back in the 90s they were pretty awesome. Songs like “Molly” and “Rotting Pinata” were great alt rock hits. The last album of theirs I bought was their 1996 release which included “Have You Seen Mary?” I figured they had faded away. But their back. Sweet.

Last night one of my all-time favorite movies was on television. Big Trouble in Little China is a classic. Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall and really cheesy special effects. I swear I’ve seen this movie 100 times. Mostly before the age of 15. It’s such a campy classic.

I’ll leave you with this gem from All-American trucker Jack Burton from the movie: “Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, “Give me your best shot. I can take it.”