Bill’s Training Blog

Firstly, I think I may need to apologise for yesterday’s post on Rest. I re-read it last night and thought it turned out to be a bit preachy when all I wanted to post was that it was interesting that we need instructions on napping and that the world has a way of invading our (my) life. Though I did find the article at the Boston Globe interesting.

So, to anyone who came over and read it and thought: “What the??!!” Sorry about that.

I’m supposed to do a run today but now that I’ve slept in, had breakfast and coffee with the kids, this morning is out - and being a Friday evening I doubt I’ll do something tonight.

100 Push Ups

The journey continues on Sunday so I get a 2 day break and prepare (mostly mentally ) for the next phase. Last time I didn’t do the minimum on the last set and that was disappointing I also think I lost form and the final few sit ups weren’t technically correct.

In my days (a couple of years ago) when I went all out and got a personal trainer it was drilled into me to hold my form otherwise you don’t get the effect. So, a redoubling of the efforts and focus is required.

Perth City to Surf

This run is on August 31 so I am planning on running it tomorrow afternoon just to get a feel of the distance. I plan to run as long as I can but if I walk a fair bit that’ll be fine. As long as I finish it. The FBH will be waiting at a coffee shop somewhere waiting for the fateful emergency phone call of a collapsed husband!

Jacob’s Ladder

Monday the pain really begins. A colleague of mine completes Jacob’s Ladder 3 times per week completing the tortuous route 10 times each time. From memory Jacob’s Ladder in Perth is around 224 steps at quite a steep rise so by the time you get to the top the FIRST time your (my) thighs ache to burning. So what the heck I think I’m doing trying to do 10 I have no idea. I’ll take some photos, more to garner sympathy from anyone who cares!

That’s the plan.

And, while I’ve never actually met the people who read this blog I do feel very accountable. So in all honesty thanks to you guys who read and comment. You keep me honest with myself and that is great. I can’t believe I have kept this up for 73 days so far. That in itself is due to Joe Thorne’s Blog where he has been running for a year and if I can repeat that, I’ll be a more than happy man, and probably a lot healthier too!

Tags:   100 pushups · Exercise · jacobs ladder · planning · running5 Comments

Exercise summary: 5km run; Time: 24:56; Weigh in: 81.9kg; Push ups: 62 (15, 13, 10, 10, 14)

For the first time in 3 weeks I ventured into Jenny Craig’s for that fateful moment of … “The Weigh In”.

After a week and a half living out of hotels, buying restaurant food and struggling to keep a routine I thought there may be some damage. I guess, in effect, there was.

No change! That’s right. Nil, Nada, Zilch, Nente … Nuthin’!

But, it could have been worse. I could have gone up.

So, I’m back on the wagon, following the course and, hopefully, breaking that damn 80kg barrier.

The Positives

• drink more water (at least 1.8l per day)
• eat more but smaller meals (eat more of the stuff (vegetables) that don’t have an effect)
• buy good quality food (who wants to eat flowery apples?)
• keep up the exercise (run relaxed, head up, breathe properly)
• 100 push ups
• read more blogs

The Negatives

• don’t snack on junk
• cut the caffeine

And then there were the Push Ups …

I failed the last set. The minimum was 15. I did 14! I got half way down on the 15th and the arms just wouldn’t have made it back up.

So, to all my friends and co-challangees feel free to flame away!

Seriously, I hope Andrew (is getting fit) Aaron and Andrew (AJH) and the rest of you get way more than 15.

It’s funny though. As I started this set I was thinking “Will I make it? Will I succeed?” And I really wasn’t sure and it had me worried that I might not make it. On the upside, I just want to make every day. Do as many as required and not miss a scheduled day.

So it’s just as much about the discipline as the success of the exercise itself. And that feels good!

Tags:   100 push ups · discipline · Exercise1 Comment

We all know how busy we are. There are obligations to work, obligations family (spouse AND kids, sheesh! ) then there are the obligations of watching our favouraute TV shows (admit it, you’ve never said “I can’t miss that?”) to having the obligatory drink on a Friday night after work. This list goes on.

I’ve come up with a term that, to me, describes life most of the time:

“the swarm of life”.

I got the idea from the humble bee. When there’s a swarm of bees nearby you can’t always see them but you can hear them. That hum, drone, buzzing at different frequencies that let’s you know they are around but you do bugger all about it.

And life can be like that. It’s all around you, sometimes annoyingly so but you can do bugger all about it. Or pehaps we only think we can do little about it.

The swarm. (say it with me as you listen for that sound in your mind - swarm!) See, it works!

So how do we deal with it?

I actually think exercising, expending energy is one of the best ways. Get outside, got for a run, a walk, a swim - whatever and you begin to better manage the swarm of life.

Another way is to get the rest you need. But in this day and age a real, proper rest can be hard to come by.

And then over at 43 Folders I found this. Basically a “How To” on … napping! We have instructions on how to rest. Is this what we’ve come to? I have to “learn” how to lie down and catch 40 winks!

The sad thing is, I think the answer for many people is “yes” you do have to (re)learn how to recuperate. The article makes some great points and offers some suggestions on how to get into napping properly.

Steve Pavlina did a year (I think) using a method called polyphasic sleep. He has a good account of it here. And it incorporates napping throughout a 24 hour period but never sleeping for the mandatory 8 hours. Interesting and certainly out of the box.

So, with everything going on around us and the “swarm of life” sometimes invading our lives a little too much can napping be a solution to the fatigue we can sometimes feel? I know some companies (the larger corporates) have tried allowing for naps during the day (I have to research that and get specific examples but being in HR I hear of these things.) Shpuld we bne incorporating small rest periods into our day? If we did, could we do it? Or would we feel that we just couldn’t and immediately get up and continue working?

How’s your swarm going? Under control?

Tags:   busyness · Exercise · nap · napping · naps · Rest · restingNo Comments.

Summary: 57 push ups (12, 12, 10, 10, 13)

The last one is always the hardest - and it helps to follow instructions.

I’ve just done Day 2 of the 100 Push Ups Challenge and, all I can say is, I’m not so sure how I’ll go on Day 3.

The first two sets (12 each) were easy enough but the next 2 sets of 10 really set the arms a-wobbling. As Andrew (AJH) says, the upper body strength isn’t quiet what it should be - hence the challenge.

But, stung by Andrew’s (is getting fit) comment of only doing the minimum for the last set I demanded more of myself and did 13 (minimum 10). Yes, I know it’s not a whole lot more but, well, it’s more than the minimum.

I’m looking forward to the feeling tomorrow of muscles that have finally had a work out. While they’ll be sore it’s a good feeling in a perverse sort of way

So, Thursday is Week 1, Day 3 and we’re up for 15, 13, 10, 10, 15 at least.

Two more events this week which will be big moments for me:

• Thursday is my first weigh in in 3 weeks. I’m expecting to be lower but only just.
• Saturday I’m going to try to do the 12km City to Surf route which is on August 31 as a trial run. I’ll time it but just want to start and finish it.

I’ll be buggered at the end but at least I’ll know what that feels like.

Full report after recovery!

Tags:   100 push ups · challenge · city to surf · Exercise · run5 Comments

As usual, I was browsing for more people that were accepting the challenge of being healthy. I noticed on Andrew’s blog the Healthy Lifestyle Bloggers icon. Clicking on it I found this whole raft of good people looking to be healthier. My inspiration source just quadrupled (if not more than that).

Just reading through a few of these really helps me stay on track and drives my motivation. Today is a very wet day but I will be out there, running and walking and hoping the rain won’t ruin my iPod.

Thanks to the stories I read here on the blogosphere.

Bill

“If you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford

Tags: 2 Comments

Summary: 5km run in 23:56; MTD 48:49km (Target: 100km)

Life has definitely changed. There was a time, just a couple of months ago when I would crawl out of work, jump in the car and get home as fast as I could and have a nap. Yes, a nap. Sad but true. I didn’t sleep at night, I was tired all the time and the thought that exercising (i.e. expending energy) would go some way to addressing my lack of energy problems just didn’t make sense - but in the back of my mind I knew it actually did.

Fast forward two months and I find myself at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Work was good today. Busy! Very busy! I had a few challenges (challenges in HR never end) and I had a few issues that walked in the door - just when I wanted to have a “closed door” day. There are times when I really do need to hide away to get things done. Might work from home tomorrow morning.

But I digress, like I normally do.

At the end of a busy day I was looking forward to exerting myself with another run. I know you can over do it but I figure while I have the energy and mental capacity to get myself out there, I should take advantage of it.

I got home and had the temptation to sit down with a nice wine and chat to the FBH. It was cold outside, warm inside and my 3 favourite girls were home (FBH, CN1 and Sasha the German Shepherd).

But no, I resisted the temptation, got the shorts and shoes on and headed out for a 5km run.

And I said all that to day this: the 5kms was my quickest yet - 23:56!

Having the new footpod and ipod telling me how far I’ve been and how far to go is great as it keeps me focused on achieving the goal. It also means I have had two runs in a row where there was no walking. That is a paradigm shift for me because I always know I can slow down if I really want to. But these last two times I have focused on keeping up the pace.

Other Things I’m Learning

• Run relaxed - I find I get more energy each time I remember to relax my arms and keep my head up.
• Breathe properly - breathe in for 3 paces and breathe out for 3 paces (works for me)
• Focus on what’s working - in most of my runs my feet hurt, or are discomforted. This makes me want to slow down and maybe walk but I am realising that, apart from my feet, the rest of me feels fine.
• The Head Rules - this is the key thing for me. My body does what I tell it to, not the other way round.

I may take a rest day tomorrow, but then again I have to have something to look forward to after work!

Tags:   5k run · 5km run · attitude · Exercise · fun · running2 Comments

One thing I like about my running, swimming, push ups and reading other blogs of others similarly challenged is that we basically get to do it for free. However, I am also a bit of a gadget man and anything that looks kinda cool gets my attention.

Recently my work raffled a Wii and because this console actually gets you off your bum and attempts to get you to do some exercise I thought it might have been a good thing to have around, particularly on those really wet and windy days we have here in Perth (we actually get very few really bad days!) Well, I didn’t win the raffle and was more than a little disappointed.

Anyway, as I said I like reading blogs from people who have taken up the challenge recently to get fit. So, via Technorati, I did a search and came up with quite a few hits - the first being a review on the fitness value of the Wii by Diet.com writer Sarah.

The overall summary was “It’s better than not exercising,” and the comment I really liked was “Why purchase a $90 game to run when you can do it for free?”

So folks, I no longer want a Wii.

I think I’ll just put on a shirt, shorts and my running shoes and head outdoors.

Tags:   Exercise · exercising · value · Wii · Wii review4 Comments

Exercise Summary

Run: 5.05km   Time: 24:49   Push Ups: 41 (10, 10, 8, 6, 7)

Today was supposed to be a high exercise day. The plan was:

• breakfast in town with the FBH
• church at St Georges Cathedral in the city
• 10km run around the bridges
• start the 100 Push ups Challenge (go here to sign up! Go on, you know you want to!)

But CN2 (child number 2 (son, almost 18, very independent) ) wanted us to spend some time together as a family this morning. So we did. No breakfast in town. I decided to make oats, banana, honey and cinnamon. Sensational and easy to make.

We did make it to church, amid the pouring rain, but it didn’t turn out to be the service we were looking for. Well close but the “singing service” was, well, just not for us. We’ll keep looking.

And as it was POURING, I decided to run later in the afternoon as the forecast was “showers clearing”. Yes, weak, I know!

TOOLS

I’d been wanting a way to measure distance for a while but just can’t do a GPS like the Garmin Forerunner. I’d been either doing the Google Maps thing, much like Andrew does or driving the distance at some time to get a fairly close measure. But I wanted something to take with me. I decided on the nike+ foot pod. So, during the rain, we headed off to get one.

I “modified” my Adidas running shoes to take the pod and set off for a run. I really like the footpod and it seems to be accurate enough for me. I decided on a 5km run and that’s exactly what I did. This really cool voice telling me: “1 km completed; 2 km completed and so on.” Until I reached the end. I then simply attached it to the ever faithful MacBook Pro and it automatically sent the data through to my Nike+ site.

I didn’t walk at all during the run. Most times during my exercise there will be a section where I do walk but thinking this might adversely affect the foot pod, I kept up a reasonable pace. In the end I did a 5.05km run in 24:49. Pretty good!

And, in case you think I’m weak for not running in the rain, you’ll be smugly satisfied to know the last 2km of my run was in stinging rain and wind!

MORE EXERCISE

And then it was time for the push ups.

Theses were pretty hard to do but as they are only short reps at the moment, I got through them okay. But there was enough puffing that I know tomorrow I’ll have a sore and tender upper body. One of those good feelings.

So, a good weekend even though I didn’t get to do the 10km run. And the nike+ Foot Pod is a “so far so good” proposition.

Tags:   Exercise · exercising · nike · nike foot pod3 Comments

Well, I did the inital test and completed 18 as a start. I have done push ups intermittently in recent times so I think 18 is a good start.

I’ve decided that my days will be Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

That way I’ll be able to do my runs on the alternate days with a chosen rest day in between. Though I’m thinking a rest day can simply be a 4km walk with absolutely no running. All the advice you get suggest 30 mins of exercise per day so I don’t think I’ll be over extending.

If I have Steve’s challenge table correct my Day 1 of exercise will be 10, 10, 8, 6, 7.

I really am very excited to see how this goes. I think it’ll be great for my upper body and tone up quite well. Only problem is my right arm (bicep) really hurts during the push up, has done for a while so it may be a trip to the physio.

But, no excuses!

Tags:   100 push ups · challenge · ExerciseNo Comments.

Goals are fantastic things. I set some goals for June simply because May was good but a bit erratic. June is erratic too. But hopefully erratic with higher achievements.

Here are my results so far.

Running:

• Current Kms run: 33.84km
• Target to 14 June: 46.6km
• Variance: - ~13km

Swimming:

• Current swim distance: 0km (yes folks you read that right ZERO!)
• Target swim distance (June total): 5000m
• Variance: - 5000m

Goals are great.

They let you know very clearly when you are on track or not. From the figures above I have some work to do. But, although I am well down in the swim category, at least I know what the actual challenge is in the last 16 days of June - I have to do 312m per day to hit my target. Or, which is more likely, 5 days of 1000m per day. And I know I can do that. So while I have had to cram it, I know I can do it. (it then raises the point that maybe 5km of swimming wasn’t too tough a target!)

No excuses.

So here is an update, simply because of the above stats and comparing them to my goals:

• I just ran 2.3 km to the pool.
• I just swam 1km
• I walked home 2.3km

So in the space of 60 mins I’ve made a huge step toward meeting my goal for the month of June.

And it was all in my head. I had just stopped keeping to a schedule. I was sitting in bed as I realised this so all I had to do was get out of bed, get my running gear on, grab a towel for the pool and head off.

An hour later and my results are significantly different.

Tomorrow is my 10km run day so that will be further progress.

And this isn’t all that special. It’s not rocket science. It’s just doing it. (I owe Nike my life!) It’s a mental decision.

And also what I have realised is that I have been wanting to lose weight and get fit for years - yes, years.

Why is it different now?

I think the desire has been there all the time. Just not the motivation or the goal. The goal itself provides motivation. And the progress I make generates more motivation. I’m almost obsessed with losing weight in a good way. And because of this “obsession” I’m looking out for ways to achieve my goal almost subconsciously. Blogs, books, routes to run, food to eat (I always check the packaging now!) and the simple internal competition to reach my goal.

So what are my goals?

• Weight: 76kg (currently 81.9, down from 88.5)
• Run: 100km per month (now around 30km per month, up from 0km per month)
• Swim: 5km per month (1km this month, up from 0km 2 months ago)
• Push Ups: 100 per day (nil, but just taken up Steve Speirs’ challenge)
• Sit Ups: 100 per day (nil, but akin to Steve’s challenge)
• Eat: Better (I need  better goal than this “better” is too vague - ideas anyone?)

I am also aware that the goals setting and achievement of the goals are affecting (positively) other parts of my life. But more on that later. If you’ve read this you”re probably getting bored by now!

Thanks for visiting.

Tags:   achievement · goal setting · Goals · success4 Comments