25-30 Mins - 65-70% Max Heart Rate
Broke my own rule tonight . Took the lower limit of the two extremes. It was because I felt bad. I'm in Halifax, at the Raddison and it has the worst gym I've ever seen. One treadmill. Luckily I got there first. Some old dude showed up right after. Then a lady. I was running for 25 minutes and stopped due to the fact that I was starting to get dirty looks. Oh well. Not a huge deal at the end of the day.
Being away presents a whole new set of challenges. Temptation to eat too much crappy food. Not enough of my staple foods around.
Here's one thing I eat in the morning a lot that you can't get at restaurants:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
Microwave for 2 mins.
1 scoop vanilla protein
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 teaspoon splenda
few sprinkles of cinnamon
Still have a pseudo cold...
Monday, March 3, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Week 1 - Day 7
45-50 Min Run - Easy Pace
I made up my mind a few days ago that anytime there was a range on the minutes I'd always take the higher range. It might not seem like much but an extra 5 minutes on every run, 10 weeks of running, 4 runs a week is 200 minutes in total which is better than 3 hour long runs.
I got up this morning after a lovely UFC event (and a crappy night of eating) to discover that my cold had partially re-emerged. I decided to fight through in, drank some water and got my ass over to the gym. Once I got going everything was good. I kept my heart rate down decently well (should be better, but that will come with time, I haven't done this much cardio in a while and it shows). I finished just over 50 minutes and was close on 5 miles.
After that I was throughly drenched and headed home for a Gatorade, some chicken and sweet potatoes. Anyone I know who's an athletic eater considers sweet potatoes a secret weapon. They are packed with nutrients, low-glycemic and very tasty. I cut a full potato into cubes, toss them in a bag, dump some olive oil in and then I have a spice ironically called "vegetable spice" that I apply. Throw them in the oven for 20 mins or so and it is a delicious yet healthy alternative to potatoes/French fries. When I'm cooking chicken I'll usually have a bag of frozen chicken breasts on hand from Costco. They are by far the highest quality frozen chicken breasts I have been able to find. Typically I'll toss them in the microwave on defrost for 7 minutes, cut into strips and then cook them with cooking spray on fairly high temperature pan. I have loads of spices that I'll use on any given day and it doesn't really matter which one I use but I do think spice is a lot better than sauce in the nutritional department.
I think in order to do this blog justice I also need to explain why I'm doing this race. Quite frankly, last year I ran the Tely 10 for the second time, and I sucked. I can honestly say I was ashamed of my performance. I ran it somewhere around 95 minutes but spent the majority of the second half in pain and switching between walking and running. It was actually a slightly better time than my first try at it but my goal the first time was to cross the finish line. I didn't know if I could run 10 miles. The second time, I wanted to do well. I think I tricked myself into thinking I was in better shape than I was. I did several long runs before the race, much longer than I did before the race in 05', but I think they clouded my judgment. I wasn't in much better shape but due to my illusion of false preparation I had a goal of running it in under 90 minutes. When the race started I was watching the clock for the first few miles and keeping pace with my goal, even trying to better it. This landed me in a world of hurt after bout 5 miles. At the end I pretty much decided I wouldn't do the race again if I was going to be unprepared.
This fall I was considering some different vacations and the idea of running the "Bloomsday 12k" crossed my mind. I have several family members in Edmonton who have run it before and had a great time. It would be a nice little trip and give me a solid goal for getting in shape during the winter. I also figured this would put me in a much better place for the Tely 10. We'll see.
I made up my mind a few days ago that anytime there was a range on the minutes I'd always take the higher range. It might not seem like much but an extra 5 minutes on every run, 10 weeks of running, 4 runs a week is 200 minutes in total which is better than 3 hour long runs.
I got up this morning after a lovely UFC event (and a crappy night of eating) to discover that my cold had partially re-emerged. I decided to fight through in, drank some water and got my ass over to the gym. Once I got going everything was good. I kept my heart rate down decently well (should be better, but that will come with time, I haven't done this much cardio in a while and it shows). I finished just over 50 minutes and was close on 5 miles.
After that I was throughly drenched and headed home for a Gatorade, some chicken and sweet potatoes. Anyone I know who's an athletic eater considers sweet potatoes a secret weapon. They are packed with nutrients, low-glycemic and very tasty. I cut a full potato into cubes, toss them in a bag, dump some olive oil in and then I have a spice ironically called "vegetable spice" that I apply. Throw them in the oven for 20 mins or so and it is a delicious yet healthy alternative to potatoes/French fries. When I'm cooking chicken I'll usually have a bag of frozen chicken breasts on hand from Costco. They are by far the highest quality frozen chicken breasts I have been able to find. Typically I'll toss them in the microwave on defrost for 7 minutes, cut into strips and then cook them with cooking spray on fairly high temperature pan. I have loads of spices that I'll use on any given day and it doesn't really matter which one I use but I do think spice is a lot better than sauce in the nutritional department.
I think in order to do this blog justice I also need to explain why I'm doing this race. Quite frankly, last year I ran the Tely 10 for the second time, and I sucked. I can honestly say I was ashamed of my performance. I ran it somewhere around 95 minutes but spent the majority of the second half in pain and switching between walking and running. It was actually a slightly better time than my first try at it but my goal the first time was to cross the finish line. I didn't know if I could run 10 miles. The second time, I wanted to do well. I think I tricked myself into thinking I was in better shape than I was. I did several long runs before the race, much longer than I did before the race in 05', but I think they clouded my judgment. I wasn't in much better shape but due to my illusion of false preparation I had a goal of running it in under 90 minutes. When the race started I was watching the clock for the first few miles and keeping pace with my goal, even trying to better it. This landed me in a world of hurt after bout 5 miles. At the end I pretty much decided I wouldn't do the race again if I was going to be unprepared.
This fall I was considering some different vacations and the idea of running the "Bloomsday 12k" crossed my mind. I have several family members in Edmonton who have run it before and had a great time. It would be a nice little trip and give me a solid goal for getting in shape during the winter. I also figured this would put me in a much better place for the Tely 10. We'll see.
Week 1 - Day 6
30-40 Mins Cross Training
Probably the most intense day of this training yet. The schedule called for 30-40 mins of cross training. I figured I should probably sneak my missed hill run in. I hit the gym at about 10 am and ran for 35 minutes. I created the "hilly run" on the treadmill but increasing the incline to 7.5 degrees for four 400m stretches. This was recommended by the training guide.
My run felt good.
At 3:30 pm I had Jiu Jitsu. We did some De la Riva guard work (I know no one will know this but hey, it's good for me to look back on this too) and had about 45 minutes of sparing at the end. I had some of the roughest and hardest battles I've had yet. Ended up with a slightly busted lip, took a real good elbow to the orbital bone and was generally wiped by the end of it. This stuff is high intensity cardio.
Probably the most intense day of this training yet. The schedule called for 30-40 mins of cross training. I figured I should probably sneak my missed hill run in. I hit the gym at about 10 am and ran for 35 minutes. I created the "hilly run" on the treadmill but increasing the incline to 7.5 degrees for four 400m stretches. This was recommended by the training guide.
My run felt good.
At 3:30 pm I had Jiu Jitsu. We did some De la Riva guard work (I know no one will know this but hey, it's good for me to look back on this too) and had about 45 minutes of sparing at the end. I had some of the roughest and hardest battles I've had yet. Ended up with a slightly busted lip, took a real good elbow to the orbital bone and was generally wiped by the end of it. This stuff is high intensity cardio.
Week 1- Day 4/5
Horrible Horrible Horrible.
I couldn't shake the damn flu. Both of these days were supposed to have runs. A hilly run for 30-40 mins on Thursday and a 25-30 min easy run on Friday. Missed both. Thursday I was sick. Friday I could have, but got offered last minute hockey tickets for the Fog Devils game in the booth with Lanny McDonald. Sorry, but certain things come first! At 10 weeks out I figured it would help me get over the cold and move on.
I couldn't shake the damn flu. Both of these days were supposed to have runs. A hilly run for 30-40 mins on Thursday and a 25-30 min easy run on Friday. Missed both. Thursday I was sick. Friday I could have, but got offered last minute hockey tickets for the Fog Devils game in the booth with Lanny McDonald. Sorry, but certain things come first! At 10 weeks out I figured it would help me get over the cold and move on.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Week 1 - Day 3
30-40 Mins Cross Training
Jiu Jitsu class was the order of the day for this workout. The warm up was decent but most of the cardio comes from sparing at the end. For those who don't know what Jiu Jitsu is, more to come on that...for now here's the link to our club:
Republic BJJ
Jiu Jitsu class was the order of the day for this workout. The warm up was decent but most of the cardio comes from sparing at the end. For those who don't know what Jiu Jitsu is, more to come on that...for now here's the link to our club:
Republic BJJ
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Week 1 - Day 2
Rest Day
Today is a rest day after only one day. It's needed on my part. I'm fighting off a cold and I had a tough Jiu Jitsu class on Saturday along with a really tough workout on Sunday.
As part of this blog I'm going to include some general info that I've collected over the last few years.
First some diet stuff that I truly believe in. Do as I say, not as I do. I have read an incredible amount of junk on sports nutrition and nutrition in general. I say nutrition because I'm not a fan of the nutrition content of say, a low carb diet.
John Berardi is a sports nutritionist who has put out some fantastic stuff. I'll summarize and add to his 10 habits of good eating below.
Habit 1: Eat every 2-3 hours.
Pretty simple. Higher metabolism, more rock solid blood sugar levels, less ups and downs etc.
Habit 2: Eat complete, lean protein with each feeding opportunity.
If you're an athlete, your muscles will be looking for protein constantly.
Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each feeding opportunity.
This is just good nutrition in general. Although the author of the habits may not agree, I think fruit is interchangeable here.
Habit 4: Eat veggies and fruits with any meal; "other carbs'' only after
exercise.
This rule is meant to cut people off from eating high glycemic carbs such as white pasta and bread. I believe there are a time and place for these types of carbs (post workout) but as long as you don't abuse it, low glycemic carbs (oatmeal, whole wheat pasta and bread) add fiber and other nutrients that help us.
Habit 5: Eat healthy fats daily.
Every chance I get I'll toss down a couple of fish oil caps with a meal. The metabolic boost you get burns the digested oil off and then some.
Habit 6: Don't drink beverages with more than 0 calories.
I think this one is huge. Chugging a glass of OJ because you're thirsty is a bad habit and one a lot of people do. The proper solution: eat an orange and drink a glass of water. Fewer calories and more nutrition. I think there is one exception to this rule: skim milk. Once again, various nutrients as well as protein. However, this one has been hotly debated for years. If you're trying to get down to 4% body fat, yeah, maybe no milk.
Habit 7: Eat whole foods instead of supplements whenever possible.
This rule says "If you can, eat a chicken breast rather than drinking a protein shake". I agree. However, protein shakes are very handy when you're trying to consume protein with each meal. Some people go to hell with it and drink 4 shakes a day. There's a middle ground there somewhere!
Habit 8: Plan ahead and prepare feedings in advance.
I think this is huge as well. Anytime my diet comes off the wagon it's usually a result of not having an adequate meal plan for that week. I'll also add that there are certain veggies you can chop when you get home from the store and stick in a ziplock bag. Mushrooms, onions and various peppers can be chopped ahead of time. Keep this and a bag of spinach on hand and you'll never have a decent excuse to not make a salad.
Habit 9: Eat as wide a variety of good foods as possible.
You'll get sick of plain oatmeal, chicken breasts and brown rice reeeeally quick. I have found that as I've varied the amount of "safe meals" I can cook, I've gotten better at using them more often.
Habit 10: Plan to break the rules 10% of the time.
I'm sitting at about 30% right now.
Jon Barry's Added Habits:
Habit 11: Wherever you can, add fiber.
As Berardi once said, if people said "Got Fiber?" instead of "Got Milk?" we'd have a healthier country.
Habit 12: Limit the Coffee
Whenever I can, I'll drink water or green tea to replace my coffee need. This helps stabilize energy as well as hydration.
I just pulled these off the top of my head. I'm sure there will be more.
That's it for now, any questions, post to comments.
Today is a rest day after only one day. It's needed on my part. I'm fighting off a cold and I had a tough Jiu Jitsu class on Saturday along with a really tough workout on Sunday.
As part of this blog I'm going to include some general info that I've collected over the last few years.
First some diet stuff that I truly believe in. Do as I say, not as I do. I have read an incredible amount of junk on sports nutrition and nutrition in general. I say nutrition because I'm not a fan of the nutrition content of say, a low carb diet.
John Berardi is a sports nutritionist who has put out some fantastic stuff. I'll summarize and add to his 10 habits of good eating below.
Habit 1: Eat every 2-3 hours.
Pretty simple. Higher metabolism, more rock solid blood sugar levels, less ups and downs etc.
Habit 2: Eat complete, lean protein with each feeding opportunity.
If you're an athlete, your muscles will be looking for protein constantly.
Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each feeding opportunity.
This is just good nutrition in general. Although the author of the habits may not agree, I think fruit is interchangeable here.
Habit 4: Eat veggies and fruits with any meal; "other carbs'' only after
exercise.
This rule is meant to cut people off from eating high glycemic carbs such as white pasta and bread. I believe there are a time and place for these types of carbs (post workout) but as long as you don't abuse it, low glycemic carbs (oatmeal, whole wheat pasta and bread) add fiber and other nutrients that help us.
Habit 5: Eat healthy fats daily.
Every chance I get I'll toss down a couple of fish oil caps with a meal. The metabolic boost you get burns the digested oil off and then some.
Habit 6: Don't drink beverages with more than 0 calories.
I think this one is huge. Chugging a glass of OJ because you're thirsty is a bad habit and one a lot of people do. The proper solution: eat an orange and drink a glass of water. Fewer calories and more nutrition. I think there is one exception to this rule: skim milk. Once again, various nutrients as well as protein. However, this one has been hotly debated for years. If you're trying to get down to 4% body fat, yeah, maybe no milk.
Habit 7: Eat whole foods instead of supplements whenever possible.
This rule says "If you can, eat a chicken breast rather than drinking a protein shake". I agree. However, protein shakes are very handy when you're trying to consume protein with each meal. Some people go to hell with it and drink 4 shakes a day. There's a middle ground there somewhere!
Habit 8: Plan ahead and prepare feedings in advance.
I think this is huge as well. Anytime my diet comes off the wagon it's usually a result of not having an adequate meal plan for that week. I'll also add that there are certain veggies you can chop when you get home from the store and stick in a ziplock bag. Mushrooms, onions and various peppers can be chopped ahead of time. Keep this and a bag of spinach on hand and you'll never have a decent excuse to not make a salad.
Habit 9: Eat as wide a variety of good foods as possible.
You'll get sick of plain oatmeal, chicken breasts and brown rice reeeeally quick. I have found that as I've varied the amount of "safe meals" I can cook, I've gotten better at using them more often.
Habit 10: Plan to break the rules 10% of the time.
I'm sitting at about 30% right now.
Jon Barry's Added Habits:
Habit 11: Wherever you can, add fiber.
As Berardi once said, if people said "Got Fiber?" instead of "Got Milk?" we'd have a healthier country.
Habit 12: Limit the Coffee
Whenever I can, I'll drink water or green tea to replace my coffee need. This helps stabilize energy as well as hydration.
I just pulled these off the top of my head. I'm sure there will be more.
That's it for now, any questions, post to comments.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Week 1
I've decided to keep a journal of my progress on my way to Bloomsday 08'. As it goes on, I'll have training updates, some diet info as well as some general fitness comments.
For those of you that don't know, Bloomsday is a 12 km road race (running) held in Spokane, Washington annually. There are usually about 50,000 participants or more. I have a couple of uncles in Alberta who have done it before and wanted to do it this year so I figured it would have been a good idea.
I decided to use the same training schedule as is posted for the Tely 10 (16 km). I figure if I'm trained for the Tely, I'll have no trouble with Bloomsday. Also, the Tely 10 schedule leaves Wednesdays and Saturdays open for cross training. Those are the days I train Jiu Jitsu. It's a good fit. I'm certain I'll also do some weights and Crossfit along the way (more on Crossfit later).
Today was Day 1.
As posted on the Tely 10 website:
Easy Run 25-30 minutes 65-70% Max HR
Max heart rate for a 24 year old man = 220-24 = 196 bpm
70% of 196 is 137 bpm.
Personally, I have a fairly high heart rate in general. Especially in the evenings. I think a lot of it is from the coffee I drink as well as naturally being a hyper person. However, I'd like to get it down a fair bit through this training and this blog will help me track it.
My run today was on a treadmill. It's currently still to wintery in Newfoundland for my liking (Feb 25th, 20 cm of snow on Saturday).
Run:
30 min
5 miles/hr
153 bpm mid run.
5 miles an hour is incredibly slow. I don't even know if I can run that slow if I'm on pavement but on the treadmill I always feel a little awkward and everything is a little quicker. I was never short of breath and didn't sweat a whole lot.
Good first day I think. Tomorrow is a rest day and I'm fighting a cold so I'd say I'll be taking it.
For those of you that don't know, Bloomsday is a 12 km road race (running) held in Spokane, Washington annually. There are usually about 50,000 participants or more. I have a couple of uncles in Alberta who have done it before and wanted to do it this year so I figured it would have been a good idea.
I decided to use the same training schedule as is posted for the Tely 10 (16 km). I figure if I'm trained for the Tely, I'll have no trouble with Bloomsday. Also, the Tely 10 schedule leaves Wednesdays and Saturdays open for cross training. Those are the days I train Jiu Jitsu. It's a good fit. I'm certain I'll also do some weights and Crossfit along the way (more on Crossfit later).
Today was Day 1.
As posted on the Tely 10 website:
Easy Run 25-30 minutes 65-70% Max HR
Max heart rate for a 24 year old man = 220-24 = 196 bpm
70% of 196 is 137 bpm.
Personally, I have a fairly high heart rate in general. Especially in the evenings. I think a lot of it is from the coffee I drink as well as naturally being a hyper person. However, I'd like to get it down a fair bit through this training and this blog will help me track it.
My run today was on a treadmill. It's currently still to wintery in Newfoundland for my liking (Feb 25th, 20 cm of snow on Saturday).
Run:
30 min
5 miles/hr
153 bpm mid run.
5 miles an hour is incredibly slow. I don't even know if I can run that slow if I'm on pavement but on the treadmill I always feel a little awkward and everything is a little quicker. I was never short of breath and didn't sweat a whole lot.
Good first day I think. Tomorrow is a rest day and I'm fighting a cold so I'd say I'll be taking it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)