Category Archives: Training

2008 Fitness Goals

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In the spirit of Running Naked, it’s time to declare my 2008 Fitness goals, and to lay out my winter training plan. Here goes.

Looking Back

Looking back on my former 2007 fitness goals, my performance was mixed. I did not succeed in running the New York Marathon. But I did successfully complete the following:

  1. Finished the Jack Brown charity bike ride.
  2. Got my body fat below 10% (9% at lowest).
  3. Without a doubt, I am now in the best shape I’ve ever been in (and yes Myfanwy, it is nice to know I can kick my 20-year-old ass J ).
  4. While doing this, we raised over $15,000 for Team Continuum (against a BHAG of $10,000) (thanks again everyone!).

So all in, I’d give myself a C+ or B- on the goals (big hit for missing the marathon), which I’m really really happy with!

Looking Forward

For 2008 I’m shooting for three large goals.

  • I have agreed to race the Philadelphia Triathlon with some friends on June 22th. I’ve never done a Triathlon before, so this will be a biggie. Let me know if you’re interested in joining me.
  • I am going to run a marathon. I’ll either do the New York (November) or the Dublin (October 27th) marathon, and I’ll decide which closer to the time. I have a guaranteed spot in both. If you’re interested in running either of those, let me know, and it’ll influence my selection (although if my aunt runs Dublin, I’m in too).
  • I’m going to try to increase my weight to around 175-180 lbs by end of 2008, but keep my waist around 32-inches (i.e. muscle, not fat).

Lessons Learned (Hopefully)

Those are pretty aggressive goals for next year, and if I ask myself what the major risks are they are:

  1. I need to more slowly ramp up than last year and not train through injuries.
  2. I need to learn how to swim.
  3. I need to add a lot of muscle to my frame.

Winter Fitness Goals

With those risks in mind, I have the following goals for the winter (while I freeze in New York):

  • Weight: Go from 158 lbs to 168 lbs +/- 2 lbs by 3/31
  • Abdomen/Body Fat: Maintain abdomen at 32 +/- 2 inches through 3/31, and ensure abdomen is at 32 +/- 0.5 inches on week of 3/31
  • Swim: Be able to swim 1,000 yards without stopping by 3/31
  • Strength: Increase my 1-Rep Resting Maximum (1RM) by 5% over my November test by 3/31.

Basically the prescription is lots of swimming, weight lifting and eating. I’ll do some spinning/biking to maintain cardio fitness, and gradually start returning to running as well to test out the foot. I decided on March 31st over March 1st as the end date to give my body more time, and I think the goals, while aggressive, are achievable on that schedule.

As usual, I’ll track progress against these for all to see in my Nude Numbers posts.

Thanks for reading,

– Art

 

    

The Six Pack Charity Challenge

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Put Up or Shut Up

So, the week of November 5th has come and gone, and it’s time to pony up for the Six Pack Charity Challenge.

To refresh your memory, a bunch of folks I know have bet $200 each of our own money. To win the bet, we need to be voted as having the “best abs” as photographed last week. Whoever is declared the winner (and voting goes to December 1st) gets to donate his bet, along with EVERYONE ELSE’S bet to the charity of his choice (and strangely it’s only guys who are egomaniacal enough to try this…).

I’m playing for Team Continuum. My basic training plan was (a) train for marathon and (b) try not to gain weight. How did I do? Well, you can review the data in the “Nude Numbers” posts, but again a picture is worth a thousand words.

How to Vote…

I need your help. I think I have a chance to win – although there is stiff competition. Click on my photo below and it will take you to all the contestant photos. Once there, view the photos, select your winner, and then click on the vote link.

My face is obscured by the camera (hard to do a self photo without doing that) but rest assured it’s me. Please vote for whomever you think won, but I certainly wouldn’t begrudge you if you thought I did.

As a comparison point (apologies, but I don’t’ have many photos of me) this was me about two years ago. Feel free to let “effort expended” factor into your vote:

I’m not sure if I mentioned it but please VOTE FOR ME!!!!!

Thanks in advance,

– Art

Nude Numbers (#21)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

I’m posting the last two weeks in my old format to be consistent, but I have now starting on my new winter training schedule. A different format of data will show up the week of November 18th.

This is a post of data from before the marathon (which I didn’t do). I ramped down from workouts at the end of the week (which was planned), but otherwise stuck to plan.

Subjective Data

The main trick this week was diet; I kept to a strict diet, cutting at the end of the week and limiting sodium intake. Not doing the marathon sucked, but many of my friends successfully completed it and kudos to them. Next year!

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Stuck exactly to plan. I worked out at the beginning of the week, then cut calories towards the end (who says I can’t try to look my best for the six-pack challenge). Also, since I was off to Mexico the next week and I’d eat a lot, it was fine to cut going into the week.

Plan

Go to Mexico; eat a lot; read a lot; do nothing; return.

The goals starting 11/5 are as follows:

  1. Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
  2. Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (Starting weight: 157 lbs).
  3. For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum).

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#20)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

I did OK with my plan for the week, but I had a big decision to make. And I’ve made it. Read on for more (and do click the links… they’re fun J ).

Subjective Data

I did some (not much) weight lifting, tried some spinning, and went to see a physical therapist. Why? Because the pain from my run last Saturday did not subside as quickly as I would have liked. I also went back to my ortho-specialist to see what he thought and had an MRI. The result: nothing is broken, but I have a bad sprain and lots of bruising in my right foot.

My eating wasn’t great later in the week, and my numbers show it.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I had dinner on Thursday with my friends Jim and Sudipta (who by the way has a great new kids book on sale now… The Mine-O-Saur. Check it out). And during the conversation I asked them for their advice on whether to run or not. I thought Jim’s response is a good candidate for quote of the month:

You’re not Kenyan – the marathon is not a life defining event for you. If you injure yourself permanently during the run, it will become a life-defining event. Don’t make this a life defining event!

Well, facts are facts. I had a stress fracture, but now I have nerve pinching, swelling and bruising in my right foot. I get sharp piercing pain any time I stand up after sitting for 45 minutes or more. I could try to run the marathon on Sunday of next week, but odds are that (a) the pain would become unbearable late in the race and (b) I’ll permanently injure myself by re-breaking the stress-fracture or doing something else stupid as my body compensates over 26 miles to avoid the pain.

So, this morning I notified Team Continuum that I would not run, and have been guaranteed a spot in next year’s marathon. I’m going to take at least 6-8 weeks off running, and then work with a physical-therapist to slowly ramp up again. I’d like to target doing a marathon in the April or May timeframe of next year (and then maybe I do NY next year, maybe not…) – let me know if you have suggestions for one to do.

Also, thanks to everyone for their suggestions (public and private) on what to do. I really appreciate the feedback and support. In case folks are wondering on the breakdown of “live to fight another day” vs. “go for it!” the breakdown was:

Live to Fight Another Day

Go For It

20+ (I stopped counting…)

0

Telling, no?

Plan

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed – I am. But when God gives you lemons, you find a new God. Whoops, I mean, you regroup and start again. So, the plan for this week is continue my new weight lifting routine, do some spinning, continue physical therapy, and then… get ready for Mexico. J and I are off to Mexico for 5 days next week (so, no updates next week). When I return, there will be a new format for tracking the metrics on my winter goals, which to remind you are:

  1. Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
  2. Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (I’m expecting my 11/5 weight to be around 153-158).
  3. For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum).

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#16)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

And just like that, I go from a “long shot” to a likely “no shot” on the NYC Marathon. Read on for why.

Subjective Data

I took longer than expected to recover from last Sunday’s run – the bottom and sides of my foot continues to be sore from the tendonitis. I decided not to run all week except for my long-run (target of 15-18 miles) on Saturday. I substituted some swimming and spinning instead, coupled with rest for my right foot. My weight training was good but also relaxed. I thought I was actually doing a good job of trying to recover.

Alas, on Saturday’s run, the pain started on mile 2, and by mile 7, with sharp pain shooting through my entire right leg every time I stepped, it was apparent I was seriously hurting myself by running further. I spent the rest of Saturday with my leg getting progressively sorer and even had to wear crutches on Saturday and Sunday before my leg could bear weight again. As I write this, I’m back to wearing a restraining boot on my foot and being on an ibuprofen diet. I’m not sure, but I think that’s a bad sign.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Time to be honest with myself: The marathon has gone from a long-shot to a “likely” no-shot.

Why do I use the word “likely”? Well…

Plan

Thanks to all of you and Team Continuum, I have the option of declaring my intention to withdraw and get a guaranteed spot in next year’s marathon. If I do elect that option, I will train for and attempt this again next year (without the fundraising again).

The deal is (a) if I meet my minimum funding commitment (which thanks to y’all we blew that target out of the water), and (b) I declare my intention to withdraw by either October 19th or October 24th (I’m still in discussions on this), then I get a spot next year. In the interest of laziness, specifically not making a decision before I need to, I’m not going to withdraw until the latest moment I can.

So between now and then I’m not going to run at all in the hope that 4 weeks of rest will work wonders. I’m not hopeful, and I’d love your thoughts on what to do. Please add comments or e-mail me between now and October 19th, and I’ll make my decision then.

So, complete change in plan, while I await the October 19th (or 24th) deadline:

  1. Stop running. Period. End of sentence.
  2. Re-start swimming this week assuming my leg has trouble bearing weight. If my leg feels 100% better, I’ll consider spinning at the end of the week (I know that biking doesn’t aggravate the injury given that I was able to do 180 miles on my leg with no pain).
  3. Keep weight training on the same plan for now, but I’ll be mixing that up soon (I’ll figure that out next week).
  4. My weight gain plans were successful, almost too successful, so I’m cutting back now. I went from 152 (my low) to 163-165 (relative high today), so I plan to cut back down to around 156-157 pounds, and then add weight again. I’m starting to track calories closely again, and hope to get back to around 156 within 5 weeks, which happens to be the week of the 6-Pack Charity Challenge
    J
  5. Keep smiling because, well, what else can I do.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer