Missed Day

Life got in the way today and I was unable to get to the gym. With today being the last day of the month and my company pushing to get as much $$ in as possible. I was up early and out late. Then I had some stuff to do this evening with my Real Estate company that ran over by about 2 hours ... Good times!!!

So, my 50 minute easy run which was scheduled for today got the axe and tomorrow is going to have to become a double workout day. I'll just get up early and run the neighborhood and then hit the pool in the evening.

I am exhausted - time for some sleep!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

1/2 Mary Training: 45 Minute Run

Annie and I got up at 5am again today and got in our scheduled 45 minutes running. It was a little cooler this morning so the run went very well. The only problem is that I haven't charged my Garmin and it died on us about 5 minutes into the run. Annie had on her HRM and we used it as our timer.

Since the Garmin died I am not sure of the distance we did but since I am getting used to this running stuff I am guessing we did a pace of around 9:30 - 9:45/mile so that probably put is at 4.7 - 4.8 miles total. I missed not having the Garmin! Once thing is for sure and that is that I have zero doubt in my mind I can do the 1/2 Marathon. I am pretty sure I can do 13.1 miles at a comfortable pace at this point. Might have to go longer..maybe???

I really wanted to get a swim in tonight but my side Real Estate gig may have just smashed the ball out of the park and I have some pretty big time commitments ahead me in the next few days/months. Not complaining because it is a good thing!

Tomorrow morning is a 50 minute easy run!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

1/2 Marathon Training: Recap & 9 Mile Run

Howdy y'all ...

Well, I've been away for a few days with work and babysitting. Thursday I did get in my scheduled 30 minute run. I didn't have my Garmin but am guessing I ran around 3.5 miles or so. Friday and Saturday were complete wastes of a day because of work so I was unable to do anything other than work.

I got back to Houston late on Saturday and went to stay at my friends house where Annie was waiting for me. She was with the kids (1.5 and 3.5 years old) and we played all night. I was completely exhausted and crashed out as soon as the kids did.

On Sunday morning I got up before everyone else and went out in my friends neighborhood to get in my 9 miles. Last week I was all excited because the humidity was dramatically reduced. Well, the humidity was back and stronger than ever. I was sweating by the time I hit the bottom of the driveway - man it was hot! However, I pushed on and got through the entire 9 miles and it took me 1 hour and 28 minutes. That is a 9:45/mile pace, not bad for 9 miles in a blast furnace!

We are starting Week 7 of the Half Marathon Training Program. Here is the schedule for the rest of the week:

WEEK 7:

MON: 45 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min (Swimming)
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min (Swimming)
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 10 miles conversational
SUN: Cycling

I am going to try and work in some additional swimming during the week when I can.

Today is the 45 min moderate run. I'd love to do it outside but it is POURING right now. Might be a treadmill day!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

1/2 Marathon Training: 50 Minute Run (5.21 Miles)

I stepped outside this morning and something was wrong? I couldn't exactly figure it out but things go ever crazier after we started to run. I mean I actually was running for like a 1/2 mile and I wasn't sweating profusely over my entire body and it didn't feel like a blast furnace was hitting me in the face. My heart rate was not shooting through the roof and for the first time in a long time it did not feel like I was running in a swamp! Then I realized that fall has finally hit Texas and it is glorious!

Man, it was awesome to be out in cool weather. When I say cool I mean 72 degrees. Many of you will think that is hot. I had goose bumps.

The best part was that my run was awesome because of the temperature. I did 5.21 miles in the planned 50 minute run and this was supposed to be the "easy run" day. So my easy pace is like 9:40/mile now! I easily could have knocked another minute or so off that pace and will do that on the next moderate run day. My heart rate did not get above 148bpm for the entire run!!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a cross training day and Friday is supposed to be a 30 minute run. Well, I am leaving for San Antonio tomorrow night for work and will be there until Saturday. I will be working all day and night on Friday so I am going to miss a workout. Instead of missing a run I am going to do the 30 minutes tomorrow and just miss a cross training day. I will be back in Houston on Saturday evening sometime and if I am not to exhausted from driving I am going to do my 9 mile long run then. If I am wiped out then I will do the 9 miles on Sunday morning. Then on Monday things should be back to normal and I can continue on with my scheduled training.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Cross Training Day: 1500 Meter Swim

I was the only swimmer at the new pool today! It was 6pm and the rest of the gym was packed but not the pool. I am officially going to refer to it as "MY" pool from here on out since it appears I am the only one who uses it.

I did 60 laps today rather slowly. I really want to focus on my bilateral breathing and form so that is what I did. I broke the sets down into 4x100-meters and then some faster 4x50-meter ones. Good swim. I am still a slow swimmer but my overall fitness level is getting stronger and stronger. So these 1500M swims that used to just cream me are actually becoming enjoyable.

I am actually considering getting a lesson or two to help me with my technique. The hardest part about swimming is that you can't see yourself while you are doing it so it is difficult to make corrections. I have been kicking this around and will see if I eventually need to scratch this itch!

Tomorrow morning we are doing a 50-minute easy run. Rain is in the forecast so it might be a wet run. The good news is that the temperature is going to be around 68 degrees at 5am, bad news is that the humidity is going to be 90% ... hopefully it will be raining!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

1/2 Marathon Training: 45 Minute Run (4.8 Miles)

This morning was one of those rare mornings when I struggled immensely with my run. Usually, when I begin running it takes a mile or two until I get loose and find a zone and a comfortable pace. Today the zone was never found!

At first I was thinking it was because of all the miles I put on my legs yesterday while cycling but my legs actually felt pretty good. Then I looked over at my wife and noticed she was laboring as hard as I was and she looked back at me and said, "This humidity is killing me!"

That was it. Living in Houston the humidity is part of everyday life from June to September. However, the last week or so it has really subsided and we must have become used to it being lessened! Well, this morning the humidity came roaring back with a vengeance and felt like a 100 pound weight on my shoulders. Usually after a run I feel awesome and invigorated - this morning I just felt beat down and cannot wait until this weather has changed for good.

Anyways, still got my work in for 45 minutes. It ended up being 4.8 miles. Here is the remaining 1/2 Marathon schedule for the remainder of Week 6:

WEEK 6

MON: 45 min moderate (Run)
TUE: 30-40 min XT (Swimming)
WED: 50 min easy (Run)
THU: 30-40 min XT (Swimming)
FRI: 30 min easy (Run)
SAT: 9 miles conversational (Run)
SUN: Rest (Cycling)

This is going to be an impossible week to get the schedule in as planned. I will be in San Antonio for work on Friday and Saturday, returning home late Saturday evening. Those two days are going to be long work days so training more than likely is not going to happen. When I get home on Saturday I have to meet my wife at a friends house. We will be watching our friends two kids (3 and 1 1/2) until Monday morning so I am going to have 3 days that I potentially may not get a workout in .... we are going to have to work something out because I might go crazy!

Tomorrow is a Swim Day!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

52-Mile Bike

So today is supposed to be my off/rest day according to the 1/2 Marathon Training Plan we are following. But since I have a Sprint Triathlon coming up in less than a month I need to keep logging miles in biking and swimming so I do not completely embarrass myself at that race!

I got up early today (early for a Sunday!), 6am, and had a 600 calories breakfast: Whole Wheat Bagel with peanut butter and a Muscle Milk protein drink. After that I strapped the Quintana Roo to the back of my wife's SUV and headed out to the boonies for a long ride. I am still getting used to my bike so I spent a lot of time just tinkering with everything today. From arm placements, to gearing and shifting, to standing and pedaling ...etc. You name it, I tried it!

This is the longest ride I have every done and was unsure how it would go? I loaded up my jersey pockets with GU Gels and my water bottle with Lemon Gatorade so I would have enough nutrition throughout the ride! I was able to ride pretty much the first 26 miles on the small ring of the gears. It went very well and when I pulled into the parking lot where my car/refueling station was parked my legs felt extremely fresh? Weird, I know!

I packed a cooler and tossed it in the pack of the SUV. I had a big jug of Gatorade in there with a Balance Bar and some more GU Gel. I ate the bar and drank about 8 oz of Gatorade and refilled my jersey and water bottle. This worked out well! I then got on my way for the 2nd 26 mile loop of the day. I started out in the large ring to really try and get my heart rate up and make myself ride in the uncomfortable anaerobic zone. I did this for about the first 10 miles and had to back off some. I was still feeling okay but I was really working and my legs were burning pretty good. I was fearful at this point that I wouldn't make it back if I didn't pace myself a little more. So, I geared on back down to the small ring and focused on keep my cadence fast.

Overall, the ride was awesome and I cannot wait to do it again. My average speed ended up being 17 mph. My top speed was 28 mph on one stretch. This is the stretch where the big, mean looking Pit Bull came flying out of a barn and chased me down the road. I pedaled like my life depended on it and that damn dog held on for probably 2/10ths of a mile - it was moving fast and it wanted me for breakfast! According to my Garmin I burned 2110 calories. According to my quick math I took in 300 cals in Gatorade, 300 in GU gels, and 210 in the Balance Bar for a total of 810 calories.

Now that seems like a decent amount to take in but if I am going to go even longer I may have to force myself to consume even more. Also, I am not really sure how accurate the Garmin is for tracking calories being burned. That just seems like an excessive amount?

Tomorrow is an early morning run ... I think it is for 50 minutes, but will have to check the plan later.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

1/2 Marathon Training: 6 Mile Run

Our 1/2 mary training plan called for a run of 6 miles today. Annie and I woke up early again - 5:30 - and went for the run.

One of the things I have been trying to figure out is my nutrition needed in the morning before my runs. If I am doing a distance of over 3 or 4 miles I need to eat something before the runs, but I can't have too much or it will weight on my stomach and make the run difficult. Annie has been having a slice of toast and seems to be doing well with that. I have been taking a packet of GU about 10 minutes before and it seems to be working and another one around the 40-45 minute mark of the runs. Each packet is 100 calories. I also just picked up some Gatorade powder and am going to mix a diluted amount into my water to help with some extra carbs and electrolytes (I sweat big-time). Now usually nutrition isn't that big of an issue with anything under 5 miles but once you get over that distance it becomes important so I am going to experiment over the next few months until I get it right!

Anyways, this mornings run went very well. We ended up doing 6.02 miles in 1:00:20. That is a 10 minute pace. The training program called for a "Conversational Pace" during the run which to me is roughly an RPE of about 2-3. I am pretty confident I can do about a 9 minute pace during the race.

Tomorrow I am getting up early and driving to the "sticks" do do a long bike ride. I am going to do the normal 26 mile course I have done in the past and if I have the energy and the weather holds up I might do it twice.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

One Hour Swim - 54 Laps

I am feeling much better. My eyes look shot and my skin a little pale but I had the normal spring back in my step. I wore a real nice suit and tie to work today so people would notice that over my tired looking face ... first guy I see looks at me and says, "You look like shit!" ... thanks!

So since I was okay I decided to go to my new gym today to swim in the pool for the first time. This pool is a 25-meter pool and I can tell it is a little longer than the 25-yard pool where I used to swim.

Overall I am happy with this pool. Looks like it doesn't get all that much use and it is clean and new!

I haven't done laps in a couple of weeks and was afraid that I would struggle. However, my pool swim was very strong today. I was hoping to get in 25-30 laps and I ended up doing 54 laps (1350 Meters). I did mostly 100M intervals with 30 second breaks. My times on the intervals were between 1:50/100 and 2:15/100. I did a couple of 50M intervals towards the end and my best time was 45 seconds. I'd love to be able to do that all the time but was pretty darn winded -- gonna take a lot of laps to keep a pace like that!

Tomorrow is a scheduled 6 mile run according to my 1/2 Marathon training program. Saturdays are always the the long runs. This week is a little shorter because it is a recovery week. Next Saturday is 9 miles and the Saturday after that is 10 miles. Then on Sunday I am going to go ride at least 25 miles on the Tri bike maybe 50 miles, if time permits (Translation: can I get my butt out of bed and get my ride in before football starts?).

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Rest/Sick Day + Arch Molds

Hello everyone!

Today was a scheduled Cross Training Day (XD). Yesterday I got hit with some serious Flu-like symptoms and it carried on through today. My fever broke and I am able to hold down some food so I got that going for me.

I run with Asics Cumulus 11 Running Shoes. They have been very good to me and my joints. I am estimating that I have about 200 or so miles on them and they are getting close to being replaced. Well, those suckers are like $129 and before I dropped the cash I wanted to see what the market was for some quality inserts to extend the life on my shoes. So I checked around on some message boards and heard of a little product called Archmolds.

These inserts are a little different from your garden variety inserts. They are heat-molded! You stick them into the oven for 2 minutes and then take a step and they form to your feet. I have been running with these for about a week now and I absolutely love them. It is one of those where-have-you-been-my-entire-life products. During my runs I fill like I am running on little pillows and afterwards my knees and legs fill like I did not even run. I have even been taking the inserts out of my Asics and putting them in all my other shoes. These things are great!

Tomorrow is supposed to be my normal rest day but since I missed today then I will get my swimming in tomorrow, assuming I can physically do that!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

Half Marathon Training: 50 Minute Run

As I have mentioned a few times Annie and I will be doing the Austin Half Marathon in February. We have been using a training plan from Runner's World to prepare us for this race. (Click Here to see the plan).

We are currently in Week 5 of this plan and the run for today called for 50 minutes at an easy pace. We woke up at 5am again to get this run in and it ended up being just a great morning. The humidity was way down and we actually had a slight breeze. We both knocked it out rather easily and ended up doing 5.2 miles in the 50 minutes. About a 9:37 pace I believe. I am actually beginning to really enjoy running. At least I enjoy it when not on a treadmill.

Here is week 5 of the plan (this is a less intense/recovery week):

WEEK 5
MON: 40 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: Rest
SAT: 6 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

My plans for the next few months are to follow this plan until I am very comfortable running longer distances and have a solid running base. I have a sprint triathlon scheduled for October 18th but since it is a short race (300M Swim/10 Mi Bike/3 Mi Run) I do not feel the need to train race specific for it. So that being said, it will be half mary training with a swim and bike on the XT (cross train) days until the beginning of December.

Then in December I am going to begin a 20 Week 1/2 Ironman training program offered by BeginnerTriathlete.com (Click Here to view this plan). This will begin 20 weeks before the Olympic Level Race in April. I am choosing to do the 1/2 Ironman over the Olympic plan mainly because it is such a solid detailed plan and if I plan on doing this level anyways so I might as well get used to it.

So there is my plans for the next 1/2 year or so!

Tomorrow is a XT day and I plan on Swimming, probably 1500-2000 meters.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff


***EDIT: Will be updating the Google calendar in the next couple of days.***

*****EDIT #2: Let me know what you think of the new layout *****

P90X Hybrid Day 39: Back and Biceps + ARX - Will Miss You Tony Horton

The alarm went off this morning at 4:30 am and I could not do it. I was just wasted and I needed the extra rest. I wanted to get up and run this morning but I could not do it. If you have been reading my blog over the last year or so you probably would have expected me to get up and do this run. And on most days I would but for some reason I was just beat? That being said I have finally realized the value and importance of rest when your body is screaming for it.

After a long day at work I did end up at the gym and got in the P90X Back & Bicep and Ab Ripper X. I hate to say it but this is getting easy - Ab Ripper X too.

Yesterday I mentioned that I have decided on my future fitness goals and here is what I have decided:

Ok, I have decided to get serious about this Triathlon stuff. I am going to enter a bunch more events and train like crazy. I am going to do a Sprint on October 18 and a 10K on October 31. After that a 1/2 Marathon on Feb 14th (and am kicking around the idea of doing the full marathon). At the end of April I am going to do an Olympic Triathlon in Galveston. I plan on spending the rest of the summer doing a few more sprints and then in November of 2010 I am going to do a 1/2 Ironman - 1.2 Mile Swim, 56 mile Bike, 13.1 Mile Run - crazy! If I put it in print on this blog then it will make me accountable.

I love P90X and it has gotten me to this point in my life. But it might be time to part ways. I have been struggling with the balance between strength/weight lifting and cardio training. I like the way my upper body looks when I lift weights, but the 4-5 hours a week I am doing could be used for cardio. Strength training, other than my core, is probably not going to be needed all that much. This is Day 39 since I began another round of P90x. There will not be a day 40.

Tomorrow is a 50 minute run!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 38: 40 Minute Run (4 miles)

I really wanted to get to the gym for some strength training this evening but didn't have time after getting home from work. The reason is the MNF Double header which started at 6PM CST!

I am addicted to watching football and this is seriously messing with my training the last two days. Luckily next week we go back to just Sunday and one Monday night game.

Anyways, I did manage to wake up in the wee-hours of the morning to get in a refreshing run. I say refreshing because of all the sprinklers that were on and the massive amount of humidity - I looked like I stepped out of the shower with my clothes on. REALLY ready for the humidity to subside, it is the middle of September and should be happening any day now!!!!

Okay run. It is great having a training partner in my wife Annie. It has been fun motivating eachother to run and makes the longer runs go much easier. She gave me the kick to the butt to get out of bed this morning but we had some pacing issues. Annie just started training for a half marathon about 5 weeks ago. I have been running seriously now for about 6 months and have always been a pretty decent athlete. When we do the longer runs we usually use my Garmin for pacing and stay around 10-10:30 miles/min. I am good with that because it is helping me with my aerobic base building. Well, today was supposes to be a moderate pace and with all the running I have been doing I can maintain about an 8 min/mile pace at this distance. She needs to do around a 10 min/mile pace. Which is really good considering she just began the training.

Long story short: She screamed my name in disgust a few times, loudly. I couldn't hear due to my distance from her and old school GN'R jamming on the iPod. I got scolded for going to fast. Then I got frustrated because my inner Ricky Bobby wants to go fast. Solution is that another Garmin 305 will be purchased. Good Times!

Tomorrow I am going to run again in the morning -5 miles - and probably swim in the evening. If I am too exhausted in the evening from work then Back and Biceps. I have decided on a few more events in the future and will talk more tomorrow about my training plans!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 37: 10 Mile Bike

Decided to stay in the neighborhood for a quick ride. The sky was threatening rain so I didn't want to go to far.

Ended up doing 10 miles as hard as I could. I stayed on a the couple of straight-aways so I could get maximum speed. My legs were wrecked after the hard 10 miles. I averaged 20.56 MPH according to my Garmin 305. That is the highest average I have ever obtained in the neighborhood.

Tomorrow is a AM run for 40 minutes.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 36: 8 Mile Run + Core + Shoulders/Chest

Well, it has been another good fitness day for Jeff!

Annie and I got up early (despite hitting the snooze button 5 times) and logged 8 miles. We had absolutely gorgeous running weather: overcast, light rain, and wind! It was still warm but the wind and rain were awesome. It was all Wee-weed up outside this morning!!!

We finished our run in 1hr and 24 minutes for a pace of around 10:30/mile. According to our 1/2 Marathon Plan our pace today was supposed to be conversational and it was. According to my Garmin 305 my total calorie burn was 1002 and my average HR was 147. Both very strong numbers.

Now today was also my free day with the Personal Trainer. I have never used a PT at a gym before and really had no idea what to expect. When I showed he said lets go get warmed up and I told him I just ran 8 miles and was already warmed up. He stopped and did a double take and looked at me like I was crazy - he may quite possibly be right!

He wanted to get a feel for my conditioning so he had me jump on a stationary bike with a built in HRM. He said I would get a good sweat. He turned the tension way up and had me stand up like I was riding hills. Not much of a sweat occurred and I could see in his eyes that he was excited and was going to try and trash me! Well, he did a very good job of it. We spent the next hour just destroying my core and also working in some push-ups and pull-ups as well. I was able to handle it all but will admit he had a nice repertoire of core ripping moves. I was soaking wet with sweat after the hour but still felt surprisingly good. It was definitely more intense than ARX or Abs/Core plus but it was also an hour long. And Steve, he was well aware of Windshield Wipers so we did a few each! When I asked him about them he got a huge smile!

After we were all done he admitted he was impressed and that I was an extremely well conditioned athlete (his words, not mine) and he had a great time beating me up. I felt good about his comments because this guy looks like Adam from the ARX videos - you know the guy in the back with like 1% body fat?

Anyways, I looked into the cost of a few more sessions (more out of morbid curiosity than anything else) and it was WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. If I was the Jeff from a year ago before I found P90X it would probably be worth it for the structure and encouragement. But I have a pretty solid plan already and have very little difficulty with motivation so it probably isn't for me and I could sense he was thinking the same thing, probably ...lol.

Tomorrow is going to be an early morning bike ride before all the glorious NFL games begin! I have the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package and plan on digging in on the couch right in front of the TV for like 10 hours - I am downright giddy for tomorrow!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 34 & 35: 3 Mile Run + Rest

Went to the gym and did 3 Miles on the treadmill. Puts me at 11 miles for the week with a scheduled 8 miler tomorrow.

I did the 3 miles today at a rather uncomfortable pace: 23:56. Just a tick under an 8 minute mile. I enjoy running outside of my comfort zone and each time I do it I am getting better because of all the base training runs I have been doing.

I wanted to go do Legs & Back afterwards but the Steelers were playing and I needed to get ready for the game. They won but the loss of Troy Polomalu to a knee injury could be devastating.

Today is my Rest Day and then tomorrow is our scheduled 8 mile run. After that I will be going to the new gym to work with a personal trainer for my one complimentary PT session. Should be fun.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 33: 40 minute run (4 miles)

Once again Annie and I got up at the crack of dawn to get in our run. We ran for 40 minutes around the neighborhood and ended up stopping right at 4 miles. Overall I really labored today. It was once again incredibly humid but I think my real issue was that I was still feeling the effects of yesterday's 60 laps at the pool. My HR stayed in the mid-140's for most of the run which is usually a very comfortable pace for me, but not so this morning. Running is so unpredictable sometimes.

The funny thing about swimming is that unlike running or lifting your body doesn't feel as beat up immediately afterwards. My guess is because your joints are not banged around like in the other activities. But it might be a more complete full body workout so the next day is when the soreness sets in.

Anyways, this evening I was scheduled to do Legs & Back but was just too tired. I have been doing these double workouts and increasing my running mileage each week and it caught up to me. This week I am going to be doing 19 miles running so I decided to not push it.

So tomorrow I plan on making up the missed L&B workout and running on the treadmill. After work I will just go to the gym and warm up with a quick 3 miler and then get in the L&B. Going to bed right now so I can be recharged.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 32: 1500 Yard Swim

I got back in the pool today and surprisingly felt quite good! I took it slow and steady and when it was all done I had done over 60 laps. I really focused on bilateral breathing and my overall form. The freestyle swim stroke, at first glance, looks rather uncomplicated. But after closer examination you begin to realize that it is actually very complex and technical. And anytime you do one thing wrong the whole form goes to hell.

Anyways, after I got kicked out of the pool today (I was done but still it is the point) I decided that a new gym was in order. My terms at the current place are month-to-month so I can leave at anytime. They gym is fine but the fact that I pay extra to be able to use the pool and it is ALWAYS being used by outside groups is ridiculous. This month they added another "program" on Tuesday and Thursday nights that leaves Open Swimming from 8:45PM to 10:00PM on those days. Unacceptable. So I drove down to the Ballys that is only about 8 miles from the house. I have never been in this gym but it is huge and has a 25 Meter Lap pool. It even has an indoor running loop. It takes like 12 laps to do a mile but that is pretty cool! The best thing is that I was still able to get month-to-month terms and it is about $25 less than the old place!

With the new membership comes a free personal trainer session. Usually I never take advantage of these since I am pretty motivated. However, since it is free and the guy was pretty cool (and ripped up) I decided to give it a try. We talked for a little bit and decided he can help me with some core work - I mentioned yesterday that ARX has become mundane so this might be a good opportunity to learn something new. This guy was sort of excited because of my current conditioning. I guess most people don't join the gym in good shape. We decided on Saturday to do the training, he thinks he can kick my butt and I told him he better Bring It. Should be fun!

Tomorrow is a 5:00 am run for 45 minutes. Then after work I will get in my Legs & Back workout for the final time at my old gym!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 31: 40 Minute Run + Back & Biceps + Abs/Core Plus

Well, it was quite the exercise packed day today! Annie and I dragged our butts out of bed at 5am and went for a 40 minute run. This is what her 1/2 Mary training program calls for and it sounded about right for me also. I could not believe how humid it was at this early hour. About 5 minutes into the run I looked down at my Garmin 305 and it was covered in moisture from the humidity. Then I looked over at my iPod and it was soaked too! Damn Houston. We are a couple of weeks away from the weather getting cooler, it has cooled some but not enough!

Anyways, we did the run and it went well. We ended up doing 3.9 miles which is just a tick above a 10 minute/mile pace. Legs are still feeling pretty good even after running 14 miles over the last 3 days!

I then went to the gym to get in my Back & Biceps P90X workout. Since this is only the 3rd day of Week 5 this was the first time doing Back & Biceps this round. This was a relatively easy workout to modify for gym use. All the dumbbell moves were obviously the same as they are at home, but the pullups were a little challenging. Especially the corn cobbs and the towel pullups. For the corn-cobbs I just held the lat pulldown bar down at my chin for a few seconds and moved my head left and right and then slowly raised it up. For the towel pullups I just wrapped a towel around the handle - although I probably appeared a little weird it work rather well.

Next came Abs/Core Plus and speaking of looking a little weird ......

Abs/Core Plus is from the P90X PLUS workouts. Which is marketed by BeachBodies as the next thing to do after you complete P90X - they advertise it as Extreme - I advertise a lot of it as pointless, but that is a whole other post - which can be found here.

This is my first time doing Abs/Core Plus in a long time and it absolutely destroyed my core! At the gym I was able to throw a mat on the floor next to the hanging leg raise device. I used this machine as opposed to a pullup bar and it it was great. This workout is superfast paced so with the mat right there I was able to jump right into the one the ground moves.

As mentioned above Abs/Core Plus is just as "Extreme" as the rest of the series but it is also damn effective. It does not focus on your abs as much as Ab Ripper X but it does focus on your entire core region and this was a great workout to do to mix it up. I really believe in the concept of muscle confusion and Ab Ripper X has been becoming rather routine to me so this was just what I needed. I am going to do this more often, maybe even do it and ARX on the same day!

Now as for the looks at the gym. It was more crowded than usual today (usual is like 3 people, today was like 8). I started doing Abs/Core Plus at the open end of the weight room and I was the only one in that location. Well, about 10 minutes in I was doing the X knee raises/crunch things where you bring your left knee up to your right elbow while in a standing X position. With the proper intensity they are hard and I was grunting away! Well, as I was moving to the next move I noticed a few of the people had stopped what they were doing and were just blatantly staring at me. Not sure if it was because I was so intense or if I looked foolish. I am going to go with intense (-:

Tomorrow is a cardio day and I really want to swim. My gym sucks though and I am going to have to figure out when the stupid pool is available.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 30: 15 Mile Bike

Got in a 15 miles on the bike this morning before I had to do some work. I am getting much more comfortable riding in the aero position as I was able to do it for about 1/2 the ride. My overall time was 49 minutes and 42 seconds. That is about an 18 MPH pace which I am happy with since I rode in my neighborhood. My only problem with the Aero position is that my neck gets sore while looking up and that causes me to come out of the position. It does get better each time out but I am beginning to think my helmet is too large because the visor partially blocks my vision - I am sick of spending money on all these accessories but will one more thing really matter?

This weekend I have put my body through a lot of physical abuse and amazingly am still feeling pretty darn fresh. With tomorrow being Labor Day and me having an off day I might try and continue this abuse. DirecTV is supposed to be at the house sometime between 8am-noon to fix my jacked up DVR. I am debating on whether to get up at like 5am and go do a run or wait for them to leave and go to the gym and run on the treadmill. And after the treadmill I will already be warmed up and at the gym so I can do my scheduled P90X Back & Biceps workout. Not sure what to do because it might be real nice to sleep in tomorrow!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 29: 7 Mile Run + Chest, Shoulders, & Tricpes + ARX

Annie and I woke up a 5am this morning and hit the road for a 7 mile run in the dark! Annie if following a 1/2 Marathon Training program that was published in last month's Runners World. I have been just doing the long runs that are scheduled for every Saturday with her in addition to my P90X.

It was very humid this morning, even at this early hour, but we both really enjoyed the run. My average HR was only 136 BPM so it was a good aerobic base run for me. Since I am a little bit of a stronger runner than Annie right now she sets the pace. A couple of times I would run up next to her and pick it up some and she would have no problems. We ended up doing the 7 miles in 1:17, which is right at an 11min/mile pace. I am pretty sure I could do about 9:00 -9:30min/mile pace at this distance but the aerobic pace goes along way towards base building so in the long run this is probably better for me anyways!

This afternoon I then went to the Gym to start Week 5 of P90X and began with Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. It has been some time since I have done this workout and quickly remembered why it is not one of my favorites! Some of the moves are just awkward like the the one arm push up, the plyo pushups and the fly push ups. But I was using the bench with dumbbells and just modified to fit what I was doing! Like for the one arm push ups I just did alternating lifts with the dumbbells and tried to mimic the hand angle if the video. Overall I had an okay workout!

After ARX I decided to do some more ab/core work. I did some windshield wipers hanging from the squat rack. They were brutal and I felt vomit in my mouth on rep #3. After that I did 2 sets of hanging leg raises. Then I went to the decline bench and did two sets of sit-ups with a 6 lb medicine ball. After that I went downstairs and used the weighted Ab/Crunch machine and ripped out two more sets. I am going to be sore tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is a bike ride and if feeling strong might get a swim in too! Have some Real Estate stuff to do so it sort of depends on how long that takes.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 27 & 28: Missed Workout & 30 Minute Run

Last night I got home around 7pm. I was in surgeries all day so I had a bunch of emails on my work laptop that needed to be addressed. I let the dogs outside and sat down on the couch with the computer. The next thing I know it was 9:30pm, I was still sitting on the couch with my laptop on my lap and still wearing dress clothes - I had fallen asleep while sitting up doing work!

The funny thing is that I was pissed that I had not got to the gym to go swim. My gym closes at 10pm so I could not get a late swim or run in. So, I just made myself a protein shake for dinner and by that time Annie came home from work and we just went to bed!

Now, I woke up early this morning completely refreshed and feeling great! I have been really working some long hours the last few weeks so maybe I needed that extended crash yesterday!

Fridays are usually my scheduled rest days but since I missed yesterday I went out for a 30 minute run (3.0 miles) with Annie. Our weather has started to cool some so the early morning runs are now possible and we are really enjoying the outdoor runs as opposed to the indoor treadmill! We kept our pace around a 10 minute/mile since we are doing a 7 mile run tomorrow morning.

I still do not like running all that much but I do like the way I feel after I complete a run. That alone is keeping me going. But in order to have some goals to shoot for I am going to do a few events in the near future. The first is a sprint triathlon on October 18th, next is a 10K run on October 31st, and then a 1/2 Marathon in Austin on February 14th. I might try to find a 5k or two in between a couple of these races as well!

Tomorrow is an early morning 7 mile run and then the beginning of P90X Week 5 in the afternoon!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 26: Shoulders/Arms/Ab Ripper X

It was a struggle to get myself to the gym today. My energy level has been a little low the last few days. Pretty sure it has more to do with lousy sleep and long work days as opposed to my workouts. It sucks when life gets in the way of your workouts!

Anyways, I took some NO Xplode and it gave me the kick in the butt that was needed and my Shoulders and Arms workout went very well today. My arms are sore right now so that must mean it was a solid workout. After ARX I did some hanging leg raises and windshield wipers to add to the pain. Damn windshield wipers are just brutal.

Tomorrow is a cardio day and I might go swim some laps. I have a late afternoon appointment on the other side of town and probably won't be home until 7pm. The pool is available for open swim after 7:30 so that might workout well. I really need to swim more but I have become a little obsessed with improving my running and with the weather cooling off (probably just jinxed us) outdoor running is available to me again. We will see how it goes ...

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 25: 3 Mile Run

Hello.

Today was another long work day. I got home late and decided to get my running in outside instead of at the gym. It is still hot but the humidity has subsided some over the last few days. I am not going to say it was comfortable out but it was at the least bearable!

I decided I wanted today to be a hard anaerobic run. So I started out at a 7:00 minute pace and just keep on motoring. I did have to pause for about a minute at one point when my iPod headphone got ripped out of my ears. As I ducked under a tree one of the branches grabbed hold of the cord. It wasn't very fun trying to untangle that sucker!

After that little pause I continued to haul butt and ended up with a time of 22:47 for the 3 miles. This is a personal best for me for the 3 mile distance. When I returned to the house I was soaking wet from sweat and started to wonder how in the heck people can do a mile in 5 minutes? That is just crazy run times!

Tomorrow I am back in the gym for some lifting. My schedule has me doing Legs & Back but I think I might substitute that with Shoulders & Arms. My legs are still feeling a little sluggish and I want to run a couple more times this week - 7 miles on Saturday!

Oh, btw, in case some of you were wondering what ever happened with my broken down Grand Prix - the transmission is done! They are replacing the entire thing and it is all still under warranty. The good news is that I will be driving around a big ass Dodge Ram 4 door pickup for the next week or two compliments of my company. I owned an F150 Super Crew a couple of years ago and miss that truck everyday!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

P90X Hybrid Day 24: Rest

According to my hybrid schedule I wanted today to be Shoulders & Arms. Now according to the regular P90X schedule it is supposed to be a Stretch X day. Well, the creators of P90X are much smarter than me because I did not have it in me. Partly because it was the end of the month and because of the way my job works it was a stressful day. I made it through in good shape but was completely wiped out by the time I got home. Instead of hitting the gym I went to Hooters with a couple of buddies to watch Monday Night Football. Had a couple of beers and am ready to tackle September.

Tomorrow is a running day. If it is still raining I will run on the treadmill.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff