Wanted to make a quick post to update a couple of things concerning Rebel Race. First of all, I got my time on Tuesday--it was 44.02, which I was actually pretty happy with considering it was my first course like this. I finished 281st overall out of about 1,050 runners.
There's also a video for the event at this link. Hopefully it works, the site is kinda quirky sometimes.
I've also gotten a lot of questions about my legs. Thank you for your concern, first of all. They hurt--pretty bad--but I think I'll be ok. I did manage to run a couple of miles yesterday even though they look absolutely horrendous--covered with scabs and stuff. Thank you to Quinn for sharing the Silver Sulphide, brother.
There may or may not be pictures from the event, too. I'll post them as soon as RR makes them available.
Thank you all for your support!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Event Review--Rebel Race, Indiana
I decided to run the Rebel Race as a tune up for the Tough Mudder in November. This was a 5k race out near Greenfield, IN on Saturday September 24th and I was in the 10:30 start wave. I'm going to attempt and take you there, so to speak, and then I have some general observations and some intel that I gained that I will use at Tough Mudder. This will probably be a long post, so bear with me, please.
I got to the event an hour early, just as the RR people asked, parked and began walking to the registration tent. As with everything I do, I immediately start noticing the people and how they're behaving/dressed/etc. Most people are like me, wearing old workout clothes, dry-fit clothing underneath, etc, but there are a few people that have actually dressed up for the event in various costumes such as some dude in full red and gold body paint (no clue) and teams of people wearing similar shirts (Swelled and Purple!). There are also some people in full BDUs, which I decide is pretty cool, and then you have the weirdos. I see some guy with body panels on (think: leather armor panels, circa Camelot). For a second, I think that maybe he has them as part of a really bad costume...but then I realize that he's serious about trying to protect himself. Immediately, I think--what the hell have I gotten into? Are there lions on the course? .....but then, out of the blue, his woman walks up with her face painted in a glorious tiger pattern complete with whiskers and a little nose glued on, and I decide that they're both kooks.
As I check in at the tent and begin to mill around and examine the few obstacles I can see, I become acutely aware of a few more people. First, I notice that there are a set of guys that seem to think that this is the World Series of Mud Races. There's one guy in particular that is running half-speed wind sprints and downing a packet of Gu (energy gel) after every sprint. Dont get me wrong, the guy is in way better shape than I am, but damn, dude. We're still an hour away from our start wave! I also see several guys that are doing push ups or whatever to try and get their heart rate up. I also notice that there are entirely more females running this event than I would have ever imagined. Aaaand, they're in good shape, too. Sweet.
A few other observations as I wait for our start wave:
We get the "one minute to start" announcement and they start playing 'Jump Around' by House of Pain. It's the most cliched song ever, but it kind of relaxes me to hear it, to be honest. Most of my start wave is jumping up and down (and yes, doing the hand motion) and I feel my heart rate rising. Now we're getting there. We count down the last 10 seconds together and then its 'BOOM!' from two fire cannons on each side of the starting line.
I got to the event an hour early, just as the RR people asked, parked and began walking to the registration tent. As with everything I do, I immediately start noticing the people and how they're behaving/dressed/etc. Most people are like me, wearing old workout clothes, dry-fit clothing underneath, etc, but there are a few people that have actually dressed up for the event in various costumes such as some dude in full red and gold body paint (no clue) and teams of people wearing similar shirts (Swelled and Purple!). There are also some people in full BDUs, which I decide is pretty cool, and then you have the weirdos. I see some guy with body panels on (think: leather armor panels, circa Camelot). For a second, I think that maybe he has them as part of a really bad costume...but then I realize that he's serious about trying to protect himself. Immediately, I think--what the hell have I gotten into? Are there lions on the course? .....but then, out of the blue, his woman walks up with her face painted in a glorious tiger pattern complete with whiskers and a little nose glued on, and I decide that they're both kooks.
As I check in at the tent and begin to mill around and examine the few obstacles I can see, I become acutely aware of a few more people. First, I notice that there are a set of guys that seem to think that this is the World Series of Mud Races. There's one guy in particular that is running half-speed wind sprints and downing a packet of Gu (energy gel) after every sprint. Dont get me wrong, the guy is in way better shape than I am, but damn, dude. We're still an hour away from our start wave! I also see several guys that are doing push ups or whatever to try and get their heart rate up. I also notice that there are entirely more females running this event than I would have ever imagined. Aaaand, they're in good shape, too. Sweet.
A few other observations as I wait for our start wave:
- RR is making a killing here. You can't buy beer, you have to buy tickets and use them to buy beer.
- Why the hell is the parking area so far away?
- They have a gear check (well, kinda--its not secure at all), and no one is guarding it. Everyone at the gear check is helping a customer at the table. So much for checking my ID for beer after the race. And so much for checking my camera, dammit.
- They have an emcee with a bullhorn that is cracking some great jokes on the competitors.
We get the "one minute to start" announcement and they start playing 'Jump Around' by House of Pain. It's the most cliched song ever, but it kind of relaxes me to hear it, to be honest. Most of my start wave is jumping up and down (and yes, doing the hand motion) and I feel my heart rate rising. Now we're getting there. We count down the last 10 seconds together and then its 'BOOM!' from two fire cannons on each side of the starting line.
This map shows the route. I ran the blue route only, the red was a 15K that I didnt think I was ready for yet.
We leave the start gate and the pace feels pretty good. Not too fast, everyone seems to be feeling out the ground texture. It had rained the night before and the footing is questionable. Besides that, the starting section is in a field and they didnt cut it very short at all. Within the first 200 yards, my feet are already soaked.
The first obstacle we come to, just past the right turn, is 'Jump the Ditch, Bitch'. It's just 2 ditches that we have to jump over--about 4 feet wide each. No sweat. We complete that one and go down to make the U-turn back and I see people quitting already (wtf) before they even get to the Ditch. Whatever. Losers.
The second obstacle appears to just be a hill that they've built in the field but as I get closer I realize that it is a hill--but that they've dug a giant deep hole on the other side and filled it with water. So, its up the hill and slide down on your ass into waist deep water. I hit the water and it really wasnt that cold--but climbing out of the mud was more work than I thought it'd be. Some guy loses his shoe in the hole and has to fish for it until he finds it.
The next obstacle is called 'Blue River Madness'. We all jump in the river and are routed upstream in thigh-deep water. Some people are trying to run in the river, which seems like a huge waste of energy, but most people are splashing and just having fun. At this point, I'm taking stock of my leg muscles and protecting my ankles from the rocks on the bottom of the river. We go upriver, against the current, about 400 yards, I guess. As we climb out of the river, we find a series of pipes laying horizontally across a calm section of the river. We have to go over one pipe, under the next (which takes you under water), over, then under, etc until you finish the obstacle. Then its up a small hill and out into the field for a short run to the next obstacle.
By this time, the reality of being here is starting to hit me. My adrenaline has calmed down enough to be able to think about what I'm doing, and so far...I'm having a great time. It's also at this point that the order of the obstacles begins to get a little fuzzy. I remember doing them all, dont get me wrong, but the order is a little off. I know the map is not accurate, though.
The next obstacle (I think) is the river rope crossing. It's also at this time that I begin to get pissed at the RR folks. The idea with this obstacle is to cross the river using nothing but a rope that has been strung across. Most people are hanging from the rope by their hands (with their legs wrapped around the rope), but a few are trying to hand-over-hand across to the other side. The reason I'm pissed is because there's a line--a long one--to even get to the obstacle. I decide, along with a couple of other guys, to just jump in the river and cross since the line is so long. We climb out on the other side and decide to try a different set of ropes back across to continue the race. I watch the female in front of me get all of 10 feet out on the rope before she decides to quit. Next--my turn. I grab the rope and turn around, swinging my feet up on the rope, and start pulling myself across the river. I'm booking, too. People underneath me are yelling encouragement at how fast I'm going across the river....and then I feel the pain. When I swung my legs up onto the rope, I laid my achilles' tendons on the rope and I'm moving so fast that I'm getting rope burns from hell. I make it just past half way and I start to see blood running down my leg, have instant visions of cutting my tendons in half, and decide to drop into the river. The frustrating thing here is that the Marine on the side of the river told me that only 2 people have made it all the way across because they're just too weak. I had this obstacle beat from a strength perspective--but my non-preparedness from a clothing perspective beat me. Anyway, I drop and slosh to the other side of the river, up the hill, and past the Marines that are kicking my ass for dropping off. I stop at the top of the hill for a second to survey the damage. Clearly, I've made a mistake in my attack of this obstacle. I have blood running down the backs of both legs and intense pain as well. I remember thinking 'open wounds and dropping into a river--thats probably a bad combination', but decide against seeking medical because the race just started, dammit.
I move on to the next obstacle, a tire run (think: football practice) and clear it pretty easily. My body is working pretty well now and I'm running well even with the leg injury.
The next obstacle is a double cargo net where you have to climb up one side, over a top rail, and down the next side. It was also pretty easy other than the top rail being very slippery due to the fact that we had all just come from the river...lol...
After the cargo net, we have a pretty long run, maybe a half mile, to the next set of obstacles, two mountains of hay bales piled up consecutively. I managed to get over these pretty easily. Comic relief: Just as I get to the first mountain, I find a lady standing there looking at it. She asks me, "what are we supposed to do?". You, ma'am, are an idiot.
As I come down off the second mountain, I fall in behind a girl who's running at about my same pace so I just decide to hang with her for a bit. We run for about a quarter mile to the next obstacle, which appears to just be a mudhole in a field. My running buddy hits it at full speed and instantly is sucked down to almost her waist. Whoa...that is some serious freakin mud. I offer her help but she declines as her shoe comes off. She doesnt even bother looking for it and continues to run after she gets out of the crap. It was tough but I manage to get through it without losing my shoes.
The next series of obstacles kinda blurs together, probably from pain, maybe from being tired, but I know I:
- Crawled through a long plastic culvert. Half way through it, I see fast-foot mayonnaise packets and plastic knives inside it. I wonder, who was eating a sammich in my culvert, and why aren't they serving now? Damn, I'm hungry.
- Climbed over 2 twelve foot walls and rolled under a log. These were slowing people down pretty seriously--I felt good that I got over them so easily. When I was sitting on top of one of the walls, there was a lady struggling to get to the top. I asked her if she needed help and she yelled at me. Whatever, idiot.
- Did 10 sit-ups, 10 push-ups, and 10 leg lifts. Rebel Race had Marines all over the course yelling at you for encouragement...but I wonder, why would you have the biggest geek in the world *asking* people to do these tasks? If you have Marines everywhere, wouldn't you have a DI screaming at people to knock out 10? Just asking...
- Crawled on my knees and elbows underneath a 50' cargo net.
- Climbed over a flatbed trailer covered with hay. This one seemed kinda lame to me--maybe added in after the fact.
The next obstacle that I remember without a doubt was the fire. I clear all the previous hurdles and I top a hill to see a Marine standing next to a line of fire. Luckily, I had watched a Rebel Race video and knew that the fire wasn't all that deep--I jumped it with no real hardship. Actually, the warmth felt pretty damn good.
Next I ran back up a hill and was yelled at to 'Stop, Drop, and Roll' by a Marine, which I did. Gotta admit, though--it wasnt easy to get back up.
I then had a couple of hundred yard run to The Great Wall of Rebel, a wood wall built with planks that stands about 25 feet high. I remember a bunch of spectators yelling at me here, so I assume that I must have been dragging pretty bad. It was good to hear the encouragement. I got over the wall pretty easily and ran on to the last obstacle...the Military Mud Pit.
The MMP was a mudhole that was about 40 feet long with about 12 strands of barbed wire hanging low over it. I have to be honest here--I laid down on the mud to go under the wire and I was tempted to just lay there. It felt so freaking good to lay down for a second that I didnt even care that I was laying in mud. Nevertheless, I got through the obstacle and on to the finish line.
I don't have my official time yet, but I think its something in the 48 minute range. Considering it was 3+ miles with obstacles and a silly wait at the river crossing, I'm pretty happy with that time. After the finish line, I grabbed a banana, a bottle of water, and headed to the medic station so they could look at my leg. The medic said that they'd seen several injuries from the ropes today and cleaned me up and bandaged me. Thanks to them for doing that.
I then tried to go to the beer tent for my complimentary beer and was told that I had to have ID, even though my age was on my bib. My ID, at this point, was a quarter mile away in my car. Forget it. I'm not going back for it. I limped to the car and left, happy to have been a part of the fun.
Intel gained from the race:
- DO NOT SLIDE ANY PART OF YOUR SKIN ON A ROPE. EVER.
- My legs are pretty beat up today, not even considering the rope burns. I need to investigate a leg covering that will not weigh me down when it gets wet.
- I really kicked ass at the obstacles that involved climbing. This tells me that my upper body strength is probably good to go. My cardio, however, was lacking towards the end of the race (which, I think, is why I can't remember the order of the obstacles). This is especially concerning given that Tough Mudder is 4 times longer than the Rebel.
- Shoes must be tied tight at all times to avoid losing them.
- I ran with compression material against my skin thinking it would help me stay dry. Good move. I learned this from running the Mini-Marathon a few years back and running under a shower station. Any part of my body that was touching my wet shirt was rubbed raw.
- The Rebel Race folks are extrememly disorganized when it comes to the actual race. And, having the parking area so far away from the beer tent/registration area is a HUGE MISS. I mean, it'd be different if I had any confidence in the gear check, but when I was there it was totally ignored. Walking an additional half mile AFTER running 3 to get a beer is just not acceptable. Based on the diagram above, I'm not even sure that I ran the correct route, in fact. The second half of the race was nothing like the diagram.
- The race itself, the obstacles specifically--were outstanding.
LEG UPDATE:
They hurt like hell today. I put some antibiotic cream on them yesterday, and one of my neighbors brought me some Silver Sulfate last night to put on them. I am going to lay low for a couple of days, just working on upper body. The more concerning part is the swelling of my ankles...
All-in-all, it was a great time. I am definately hooked on these events and am actively looking for another one to try before Tough Mudder in November.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Obstacle Five: The Mud Mile
It's been awhile since I wrote in this series, so just to keep you updated:
The last thing we did was Chernobyl Jacuzzi. It's about 230 bags of ice dumped in a bin, colored some ferocious color, and constructed in a way that you have to go under an obstacle within the bin so that you stay under water for a second. See my post on it for clarification.
After we get out of that cold hell (remember its going to be cold at the event, too--more on that later), we then head to The Mud Mile. The Tough Mudder website describes this obstacle as 'energy zapping trademark Tough Mudder thick mud' and a maze of trenches. I'm a visual kinda guy so that description didn't mean a whole lot to me. So, as always, I YouTubed it...
So...observations:
1) The dude in the blue shirt is way too happy. He needs someone to kick him in the balls just to make him angry for being in this crap.
2) The chick in the pink tights and orange shirt is an idiot. Who wears crap like that to this? And get in the mud, lady. Quit walking around it. This isnt the Walk for Dogs 5K or whatever. You paid to get dirty--so do it.
3) I ain't running through this obstacle. If you watched this to the end, you can see that its long. It's next to some kind of drag strip, so using my trained investigator senses, I'm guessing it at a quarter mile. That much mud and water will KILL your quads. And this is just the 5th obstacle. So, I'm thinking that I need to do more quad work.
Oh, yea. Weather. I looked up the weather for last year on this date. The low was 26 degrees. The high was 42. If this year is the same as last year, I'm thinking that the 11am wave will see start temps around 36 degrees. That, my friends, is brutal--especially when you consider all of the ice that's already involved in completing this. I gotta figure out how to train for that--maybe one of my neighbors will spray me with ice water when I'm running by.
I'm crazy. Why did I decide to do this again?
The last thing we did was Chernobyl Jacuzzi. It's about 230 bags of ice dumped in a bin, colored some ferocious color, and constructed in a way that you have to go under an obstacle within the bin so that you stay under water for a second. See my post on it for clarification.
After we get out of that cold hell (remember its going to be cold at the event, too--more on that later), we then head to The Mud Mile. The Tough Mudder website describes this obstacle as 'energy zapping trademark Tough Mudder thick mud' and a maze of trenches. I'm a visual kinda guy so that description didn't mean a whole lot to me. So, as always, I YouTubed it...
So...observations:
1) The dude in the blue shirt is way too happy. He needs someone to kick him in the balls just to make him angry for being in this crap.
2) The chick in the pink tights and orange shirt is an idiot. Who wears crap like that to this? And get in the mud, lady. Quit walking around it. This isnt the Walk for Dogs 5K or whatever. You paid to get dirty--so do it.
3) I ain't running through this obstacle. If you watched this to the end, you can see that its long. It's next to some kind of drag strip, so using my trained investigator senses, I'm guessing it at a quarter mile. That much mud and water will KILL your quads. And this is just the 5th obstacle. So, I'm thinking that I need to do more quad work.
Oh, yea. Weather. I looked up the weather for last year on this date. The low was 26 degrees. The high was 42. If this year is the same as last year, I'm thinking that the 11am wave will see start temps around 36 degrees. That, my friends, is brutal--especially when you consider all of the ice that's already involved in completing this. I gotta figure out how to train for that--maybe one of my neighbors will spray me with ice water when I'm running by.
I'm crazy. Why did I decide to do this again?
Introducing Team Swelled and Purple
As I've said on here before, the probability that you'll hear the story behind the logo is pretty small. It would take a rare combination of Chris and I being in the same place at the same time and an amount of alcohol that you're probably not willing to purchase. Besides, when we've told the story in the past, people dont laugh as hard as we do, so its probably one of those 'ya hadda be there' kind of things. I will just tell you that it has nothing to do with what you think it does (perverts).
The logo, when its printed on the shirts, will be white on a purple shirt. Its important to note that if you plan on attending the Mudder with us (November 19th, Saturday, 11am start wave), you have to wear a logo shirt...and I'm ok with having it printed on other things as well (flags, underwear, etc). The site that I am using to have everything printed up is http://www.spreadshirt.com/ because they have an enormous selection and the prices are decent.
Major kudos for a second. This logo was created for us by Vertigo Graphic--look them up at http://www.vertigographic.com/ if you need any type of graphic or web design, especially in the ATL area. When I approached them about doing the logo and the ideas I had, they totally ran with it and gave me this beauty below. Jeremy and his team seemed more than eager to help, especially when I told them that it involved the Wounded Warrior Project. They're also on Facebook, so find them and take a look at their work!
Without further time--wasting...
The logo, when its printed on the shirts, will be white on a purple shirt. Its important to note that if you plan on attending the Mudder with us (November 19th, Saturday, 11am start wave), you have to wear a logo shirt...and I'm ok with having it printed on other things as well (flags, underwear, etc). The site that I am using to have everything printed up is http://www.spreadshirt.com/ because they have an enormous selection and the prices are decent.
Major kudos for a second. This logo was created for us by Vertigo Graphic--look them up at http://www.vertigographic.com/ if you need any type of graphic or web design, especially in the ATL area. When I approached them about doing the logo and the ideas I had, they totally ran with it and gave me this beauty below. Jeremy and his team seemed more than eager to help, especially when I told them that it involved the Wounded Warrior Project. They're also on Facebook, so find them and take a look at their work!
Without further time--wasting...
Training Update: In Labor (Day)
Greetings, y'all...if anyone is even still reading this thing.
Today is Labor Day and I realized that I haven't posted anything in like 2 weeks. C'mon, I've been busy with...well, OK, I'll be honest. Football season started and Madden 2012 came out. That is enough to make any guy lose concentration from a silly blog.
My weight continues to hover between 212 and 218, depending on how much protein I've consumed in the past few days. The beginning of football season seriously set me back a few days as I slipped and fell into my favorite wing joint (Just Wingin' It in Franklin), downed some alcohol with the band last night, and also accidently ate some fried chicken last week (no, mom, it wasnt as good as yours).
However, I do have some pretty major training modifications to report and monitor. I've stopped doing the entire P90X workout. As the date for the Mudder gets closer, I've been talking to more and more people about the battle plan--and theres things that P90X doesnt address in that plan to the level that I need. For example, I dont think that P90X is concentrating enough on the major muscles that we're going to be using for the race (lats, shoulders, and traps). Dont get me wrong, it is an AMAZING workout that did a great job of taking me from a 265 pound blob o' fat to...well a 215 pound guy, but I need to turn the corner and start concentrating on race-specific training. In exchange for stopping Doc Horton's Hell on DVD, I've joined a local gym. I chose Anytime Fitness because they're in every city that I travel to and I can workout wherever I go. So far, so good--well other than a majorly pulled muscle in the base of my neck last week. It's almost healed, I think (thanks for saving my life, Darla, if you happen to read this).
As far as training runs, I'm consistently (2-3 times per week) running the Tracy Trail that goes from the Summerfield area to Smith Valley. It's a great run with some hills and scenery other than my neighborhood. Speaking purely from a viewpoint of cardio, I'm in the best shape of my life--even better than when I was in the police academy when we ran every day. I've been doing some reading on incorporating windsprints into my routine and am going to add that next week.
In addition to my injury, the whole team is ailing to some extent. One guy went down with a serious foot injury last week (involving stitches--he's on Injured Reserve for 3 weeks), and one guy had a serious infection that involved some kind of cocktail of anti-biotics. Hey, whatever--I told him to stay out of Thailand. None of our ailments are serious and I'm sure we'll be back on track soon.
I received the final copy of the Team Swelled and Purple logo and will post it on my next post. I'd like to thank the amazing staff at Vertigo Graphics for taking the time to it together.
Today is Labor Day and I realized that I haven't posted anything in like 2 weeks. C'mon, I've been busy with...well, OK, I'll be honest. Football season started and Madden 2012 came out. That is enough to make any guy lose concentration from a silly blog.
My weight continues to hover between 212 and 218, depending on how much protein I've consumed in the past few days. The beginning of football season seriously set me back a few days as I slipped and fell into my favorite wing joint (Just Wingin' It in Franklin), downed some alcohol with the band last night, and also accidently ate some fried chicken last week (no, mom, it wasnt as good as yours).
However, I do have some pretty major training modifications to report and monitor. I've stopped doing the entire P90X workout. As the date for the Mudder gets closer, I've been talking to more and more people about the battle plan--and theres things that P90X doesnt address in that plan to the level that I need. For example, I dont think that P90X is concentrating enough on the major muscles that we're going to be using for the race (lats, shoulders, and traps). Dont get me wrong, it is an AMAZING workout that did a great job of taking me from a 265 pound blob o' fat to...well a 215 pound guy, but I need to turn the corner and start concentrating on race-specific training. In exchange for stopping Doc Horton's Hell on DVD, I've joined a local gym. I chose Anytime Fitness because they're in every city that I travel to and I can workout wherever I go. So far, so good--well other than a majorly pulled muscle in the base of my neck last week. It's almost healed, I think (thanks for saving my life, Darla, if you happen to read this).
As far as training runs, I'm consistently (2-3 times per week) running the Tracy Trail that goes from the Summerfield area to Smith Valley. It's a great run with some hills and scenery other than my neighborhood. Speaking purely from a viewpoint of cardio, I'm in the best shape of my life--even better than when I was in the police academy when we ran every day. I've been doing some reading on incorporating windsprints into my routine and am going to add that next week.
In addition to my injury, the whole team is ailing to some extent. One guy went down with a serious foot injury last week (involving stitches--he's on Injured Reserve for 3 weeks), and one guy had a serious infection that involved some kind of cocktail of anti-biotics. Hey, whatever--I told him to stay out of Thailand. None of our ailments are serious and I'm sure we'll be back on track soon.
I received the final copy of the Team Swelled and Purple logo and will post it on my next post. I'd like to thank the amazing staff at Vertigo Graphics for taking the time to it together.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Back on Track
I sat down about the middle of the week and tried to figure out where my mojo had gone. Why did I not feel like training anymore all of the sudden? What happened that I went from wanting to destroy the TM course to ....well, feeling like a girl, to be honest?
I veered off my training course. I was talking to a friend of mine recently about strength training and how I was upset that my strength wasn't going up as exponentially as I thought it would. He (correctly) suggested that I add more lean protein to my diet to fix this. I did not mention that I wanted to gain strength without raising mass...so his recommendation was correct. I went out and bought some protein drinks and have been averaging about 170g of protein a day for the last two weeks. I figured that HAD to be the problem since I've been a little sluggish lately.
I've gained mass quite a bit over the last few weeks--especially in my arms and chest. Don't get me wrong, protein is essential but not in the doses that I've been having, I think. I've scaled back the protein and regained my energy level. As an example, I ran 4 miles today--by far the longest training run I've had since I started training for TM. I know that there are a lot of people that read this that know a helluva lot more than me about training nutrition. Am I off base?
I also found something else that helps with motivation:
I veered off my training course. I was talking to a friend of mine recently about strength training and how I was upset that my strength wasn't going up as exponentially as I thought it would. He (correctly) suggested that I add more lean protein to my diet to fix this. I did not mention that I wanted to gain strength without raising mass...so his recommendation was correct. I went out and bought some protein drinks and have been averaging about 170g of protein a day for the last two weeks. I figured that HAD to be the problem since I've been a little sluggish lately.
I've gained mass quite a bit over the last few weeks--especially in my arms and chest. Don't get me wrong, protein is essential but not in the doses that I've been having, I think. I've scaled back the protein and regained my energy level. As an example, I ran 4 miles today--by far the longest training run I've had since I started training for TM. I know that there are a lot of people that read this that know a helluva lot more than me about training nutrition. Am I off base?
I also found something else that helps with motivation:
Monday, August 15, 2011
Dog Days of Summer Training Update
August is here, which means that the Dog Days have arrived, and it actually cooled down quite a bit here last week. So when I post about the Dog Days, I'm more posting about the fact that I'm struggling with training for the last week or so. I spent early last week in Evansville for a few days and I hurt my left ankle during a 2 mile run. Not a twist or a pop, just kind of a dull aching pain that stayed for a few days. I guess I'm lucky, its the first real injury I've felt, but it still sucked. I did not run again until last night, so I was lazy for a few days other than staying on the P90X workout program. It doesnt help that football has started back--I freaking love watching football on TV...even if it is exhibition season. I did manage to take my daughter swimming for a few hours on Saturday, so that was a pretty good workout.
I'm also considering joining a gym. Don't get me wrong, P90X is a wonderful workout system but there's a couple of areas that I'm not satisfied with. For one, I dont feel like I'm getting a decent back workout with P90, and that's a big deal considering all the walls and crap that we'll be climbing over for the mudder. Also, even though I've bought the biggest bands I can find (100 lbs), I'm not impressed with the bicep workout. So, if you have a gym that you want to recommend in the Greenwood area, I'm down for listening.
My weight is still around 215, but I feel like my muscle content has gone up considerably. I really loaded the protein last week, hitting the 200g per day mark a couple of times. I can see the difference in my triceps and chest especially. I'm in serious need of new clothes, I know that. My pants are ridiculously loose. Hey, I'm saggin! Yeaaah boyeeee!!
Anyway, sorry to be so blah. I gotta get out of this doldrum and get back to kickin some ass!
I'm also considering joining a gym. Don't get me wrong, P90X is a wonderful workout system but there's a couple of areas that I'm not satisfied with. For one, I dont feel like I'm getting a decent back workout with P90, and that's a big deal considering all the walls and crap that we'll be climbing over for the mudder. Also, even though I've bought the biggest bands I can find (100 lbs), I'm not impressed with the bicep workout. So, if you have a gym that you want to recommend in the Greenwood area, I'm down for listening.
My weight is still around 215, but I feel like my muscle content has gone up considerably. I really loaded the protein last week, hitting the 200g per day mark a couple of times. I can see the difference in my triceps and chest especially. I'm in serious need of new clothes, I know that. My pants are ridiculously loose. Hey, I'm saggin! Yeaaah boyeeee!!
Anyway, sorry to be so blah. I gotta get out of this doldrum and get back to kickin some ass!
Motivational Quotes
OK, hear me out.
I've always been into motivational quotes. Not stuff like 'the early bird gets the worm' or crap like that. More like...'if you were leading soldiers into battle, and knew that half of them were not going to live to see their families because they were defending the altar of freedom, what would you say to them' kinda quotes. Quotes that were taken at a very dire time, that people drew inspiration from to go out and take care of whatever the task at hand was. You know, truly motivational quotes. Thought I'd share a few of my favorites on here...
"I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!"
-General Dwight D. Eisenhower in his address to troops just before the D-Day invasion
"There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory."
-Colonel Tim Collins, British Army, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, 2003
(I highly recommend reading this full speech; it gives me chills every time I read it)
'I don't want to get any messages saying, "I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls.'
-General George Patton, June 5, 1944
"I'll tell you this: in any fight it is the guy who is willing to die who is going to win that inch. And I know if I am going to have any life anymore it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch because that is what LIVING is. The six inches in front of your face."
-Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday
"We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve" (OK, its not a motivational quote but its still pretty badass)
-Admiral Yamamoto, Japanese Navy, December 8, 1941
"Those who cannot bravely face danger are the slaves of their attackers"
-Aristotle
"Nobody ever drowned in sweat"
-USMC
"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot and hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor ever lose a war."
-General George Patton (again)
Hell, maybe I should just rename this post as the General Patton post. I never knew that the guy had so many great things to say until I started researching him for this post. What a fricking great man.
Sometimes I draw on these when I'm dragging ass and don't feel like working out today. I know its a little hokey, but it works, at least for me.
Feel free to comment with your favorite below.
I've always been into motivational quotes. Not stuff like 'the early bird gets the worm' or crap like that. More like...'if you were leading soldiers into battle, and knew that half of them were not going to live to see their families because they were defending the altar of freedom, what would you say to them' kinda quotes. Quotes that were taken at a very dire time, that people drew inspiration from to go out and take care of whatever the task at hand was. You know, truly motivational quotes. Thought I'd share a few of my favorites on here...
"I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!"
-General Dwight D. Eisenhower in his address to troops just before the D-Day invasion
"There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory."
-Colonel Tim Collins, British Army, on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, 2003
(I highly recommend reading this full speech; it gives me chills every time I read it)
'I don't want to get any messages saying, "I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls.'
-General George Patton, June 5, 1944
"I'll tell you this: in any fight it is the guy who is willing to die who is going to win that inch. And I know if I am going to have any life anymore it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch because that is what LIVING is. The six inches in front of your face."
-Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday
"We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve" (OK, its not a motivational quote but its still pretty badass)
-Admiral Yamamoto, Japanese Navy, December 8, 1941
"Those who cannot bravely face danger are the slaves of their attackers"
-Aristotle
"Nobody ever drowned in sweat"
-USMC
"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot and hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor ever lose a war."
-General George Patton (again)
Hell, maybe I should just rename this post as the General Patton post. I never knew that the guy had so many great things to say until I started researching him for this post. What a fricking great man.
Sometimes I draw on these when I'm dragging ass and don't feel like working out today. I know its a little hokey, but it works, at least for me.
Feel free to comment with your favorite below.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Obstacle Four: Chernobyl Jacuzzi
For those of us that remember the Chernobyl disaster, this one is pretty scary. My first thought was, 'oh boy, I get an extra arm growing out of my neck for the rest of the race.' Actually, this is worse.
This is a great video to show how cold this frickin this really is. Tough Mudder builds this thing and then adds over 200 bags of ice at the beginning of the day, and then adds more as it starts to melt. In the last several events, they've also added a ton of coloring (or tritium, not sure which) to give it an actual nuclear color. So that way, when you get out of this tub, you're not only cold but also green (or red or whatever color).
To me, this obstacle is the first to start testing your mental strength. Up until this point, they've been physical challenges (running up and down hills), but this one is different. Clearly, this event is more of a mental challenge than a physical one and I think TM really throws down the gauntlet by having this big of a mental challenge this early in the event. Plus, dont forget...we'll be doing this in mid-November, so its gonna be damn near impossible to get warm after this ice bath.
Holy shit...what was I thinking?!
This is a great video to show how cold this frickin this really is. Tough Mudder builds this thing and then adds over 200 bags of ice at the beginning of the day, and then adds more as it starts to melt. In the last several events, they've also added a ton of coloring (or tritium, not sure which) to give it an actual nuclear color. So that way, when you get out of this tub, you're not only cold but also green (or red or whatever color).
To me, this obstacle is the first to start testing your mental strength. Up until this point, they've been physical challenges (running up and down hills), but this one is different. Clearly, this event is more of a mental challenge than a physical one and I think TM really throws down the gauntlet by having this big of a mental challenge this early in the event. Plus, dont forget...we'll be doing this in mid-November, so its gonna be damn near impossible to get warm after this ice bath.
Holy shit...what was I thinking?!
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