Week of July 12 2009 - Shane

I had a crappy run week. Mid-week I found out about 2 PT tests (one to grade and one to take) that totally wrecked my sleep and workout schedule, then on Thursday I had to unexpectedly change shifts which wrecked my sleep cycle again, causing me to miss another day.

Sunday - 2 mi in 13:30
Monday - 4 mi in 28:40
Tuesday - graded a PT test
Wednesday - Took a PT test on 3 hours of sleep, got 13:09 on the 2 mile run
Thursday - skipped
Friday - 3 mi in 22:40. I was feeling crappy halfway through my normal 6 mile Friday so I quit halfway and got some pizza and ice cream, WHAT.

Week of July 5 2009 - Shane

Here in Iraq I have no access to a pool or a bike. But I've been running hard again for the past month. Last week I ran an organized 5k race in 22:40.

This week I kept fairly detailed records (all running was on a treadmill with zero incline):

M	4 miles in 29:10
T	1/2 mile in 3:13 1/2 mile in 3:11 1/2 mile in 3:09 1/2 mile at 3:07 1/4 mile at 1:33 1/4 mile at 1:32 1/4 mile at 1:31 1/4 mile at 1:30
W	5 miles in 39:00
Th	1/2 mile in 3:15 1/2 mile in 3:15 1/2 mile in 3:13 1/4 mile in 1:35 1/4 mile in 1:34 1/4 mile in 1:33 1/4 mile in 1:33 1/4 mile in 1:32 1/4 mile in 1:30
F	6 miles in 48:30

I think I get a little too engaged in keeping stats. But I'll probably be doing this every week.

22 sept. best burger

i realized today that best burger does one thing right that i never noticed...they put the lettuce, onions, ect. below the meat patty. you see, heat rises and cold sinks. therefore, the vegetables remain crispy and fresh resulting in a masterpiece of taste from the first bite to the last. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32233400@N00/2302172701/ there is another joint that does it the same way and their burgers are also fantastic: In and Out. all those restaurant hamburgers be shamed, they have no idea how to do it right; chili's, red robin, tgi friday's, and so on. even though Best Burger has bigger hamburgers, In and Out is right up there as far as taste and quality. i know this is an outlandish statement, but i'm making it and if you have any doubt...you need to try it. in any case, the double-double is to die for. the fries are most likely better for you at in and out. seeing how they are fresh-cut right behind the counter.
the whole point of this entry is to illustrate my lack effort on working out and eating right. but hey, if you can't enjoy your vacation...?

utah - 19 september

after i let andy know that ogden is one of the top 50 cities in america for adventure (you can see for yourself in National Geographic Adventure Magazine September 2008 issue p. 79) i jumped on a plane and headed out. however if you are trying to regain a workout schedule...it can be bad. well, not all that bad, but less disciplined. i did have a bbq pork sandwich at the grill in the Honolulu airport; really amazing! the flight wasn't bad, the lady next to me must have been really tired cause she just layed right out. the in-flight movie was something with a miss pettegrew in the title; not worth seeing. however, i am currently breathing the cool fall air of one of america's most adventerous cities. wish you were here.
my work out for the last day or two has consisted of sitting on airplanes and forgetting to sign out on leave...oh well, what are they going to do, bar me from re-enlistment?

weights - 18 sept. 08

yesterday i hit the track and the weights. i ran for 30 min. and lifted weights for about 45. running was pretty basic, ran until i got somewhere then turned around to come back. my weightlifting consists primarily of free weights (cause that's all we have in the barracks). i started on the bench with the bar only and worked my way up slowly to pushing up 2 plates (135 lbs.). i do sets of 10 reps at each different weight and then sets of 7 reps. then i move to curls and tri's. it's pretty awesome, the first couple times my arms were pretty sore the next day, but it goes away after a schedule is established. i'm not trying for body mass, just tone to help me with my running and overall ability. as far as my diet goes, there isn't a lot to say. i eat boston market tv dinners, yogurt and cheese for breakfast and a pb&j for lunch. pretty simple...every day.

back at it - mon 16 sept 08

running 30 min. weight lifting 45 min. yesterday i only worked on the bench. last week i went running twice and hit the weights every day; i won't give you the details because it was a little off the wall with planning. as far as the weight lifting is concerned i start with the bar only and do one set. i gradually work my way up by adding more weight each set until i reach 135 lbs. (that's 2 plates). i do a few sets at 135 and then work my way back down to just pushing the bar alone. running...i just run until i'm tired and then i stop. it's generally a few miles and no less than 30 min.

Hawai'i is indeed the killer

i would have to agree with shane on this one, we do suck. i for one have barely worked out since i started my language training. however that ended last week and today i took the listening portion of version 5 test. in my defense, if i even have one, i feel that language training was benificial and i worked hard; we'll see the fruits of my hard work and hopefully it'll pay off. but more to follow on that. my current batallion has an exemption policy and i made it with a 300 on my last pt test. for the first time ever i stopped when i had reached the maximum in push-ups and sit-ups to save energy for the run. it payed off; i ran a 13:12 which is the fastest 2 mile i've run since leaving california. however, it's still a full minute over where i want to be. so i have something to work for. anyway, i'm making a resolution to post A LOT more often. so i'll see you around the bend.

We suck

I think after we went to Hawaii we stopped training hard (or at least keeping detailed records of it). Andy and I went to Hawaii for work for a month or so, and Mike moved there. And that was the beginning of us not posting.

I'm going to Iraq soon so I have other priorities besides training, but I still want to get a good workout regimen while I'm there, if I can.

Week 9, Days 1-3

Ok so I skipped week 8 almost entirely. I did, however, work a 70 hour workweek. And I did a 2 mile time trial I think on Wednesday to see where I was at - just under 15 minutes. Hopefully when I take my PT test and it's 20 degrees warmer I'll be able to do a 14:00 2 mile.

So here's what I've done so far this week:

Sunday - 7 mile run in 58 minutes outdoors. It was relatively warm (which basically just means barely above freezing), so I did a loop around the airfield on post. Also tried out a new jacket that I intend to take backpacking - it stops wind and snow pretty well.

Monday - 21.4 miles on stationary bike, 800 calories burned in exactly 1 hour. Immediately afterwards, I did weights for about an hour, including a few sets of squats that nearly made me pass out. Which was kinda awesome.

Tuesday - Went to buy some stuff instead, since all retail stores and the gym close 2 hours after I get off work here. But the sun set at 10pm today, which means that I can start running outside whenever the hell I feel like. Oh, also, I had Burger King for breakfast this morning. Because when I'm only given 30 minutes for breakfast, and it takes me 10 minutes to drive between home and work, I really don't have that many options.

Andy and Mike need to get back to updating. It's been like 3 weeks.

Week 7 - Shane

Sunday - 5.7 mile run described here.
Monday - 2 mile run as a diagnostic to see where we are for this month's PT test. I ran it in 16 minutes. When it comes time to do it for real, I expect 14:30 or faster. I won't be wearing long pants and a jacket, the trail won't be 50% ice, and I will not have run 5.7 miles the day before. Also, broke my diet for all 3 meals since we were at work the entire time. Again.
Tuesday - No workout
Wednesday - 10.5 miles on stationary bike in 30 minutes, 30 minutes of run sprints afterwards.
Thursday - shortened weightlifting session. I benched 3 sets of 155 lbs at 12/10/8 reps, and squatted 3 sets of 12 reps each of 155/165/175lbs. I can't remember what I did on the row or fly machines.
Friday - Time trial for a sprint triathlon. Times:
750m swim - 17:00
transition - 6:00
20k (12.4mi) bike (stationary machine) - 37:20
transition - 1:15
5k (3.1mi) run (treadmill at 1.0% incline) - 28:02
Total - 1:29:37
Also on Friday I had pizza for lunch with coworkers. No real reason, just that peer pressure and conformity still influence my behavior.

Week 7 distance totals:
Swim: 750m
Bike: 22.9 miles
Treadmill: 3.1 miles
Road running: 7.7 miles
Total run: 10.8 miles

In case you haven't noticed, I've been kinda lazy, and kinda not sticking with my diet, and not really doing afternoon workouts. But I'm also ridiculously busy with work. And I think I'm not the only one of the 3.

Next week, starting Sunday, I'm going to try to start sticking with a specific schedule each week (morning workouts will be with the unit and dependent on whether we stick to our own published schedule):

Sunday - Long, slow run.
Monday - speed, agility type stuff with the unit in the morning, and a long, slow, bike in the afternoon.
Tuesday - powerlifting for an hour, then 30 minutes of abs in the morning, and a long, slow swim in the afternoon.
Wednesday - speed, agility type drills with the unit in the morning, and speed intervals on the bike in the afternoon.
Thursday - either weights or sports in the morning (we alternate every week), and speed intervals in the pool in the afternoon
Friday - Long run in the morning, some super-intense workout in the afternoon, probably incorporating 2 or 3 of the triathlon sports.

Mar 30 - Shane

I wasn't going to run today, being hungover and dehydrated when I woke up to watch the Texas/Memphis game this morning. I was trying to find the motivation to just get to the pool to at least do some flip turn drills, but then I watched this awesome commercial during the game, and went running afterwards:



I covered 5.7 miles in 52 minutes. Not that fast, but the ice was pretty bad for some stretches.

Week 6 - Shane

Ok so I didn't do any afternoon workouts for the rest of the week. I did morning PT with my unit, though.

On Friday morning we ran uphill for 3.1 miles for an elevation increase of 550 feet. We went back to pick someone up, so I'd say that it was a total of 3.5 miles for like 650 feet elevation increase. We ran the mile or so down the ski slope, though, which was far steeper but also much shorter.

So totals:

Running: around 4.5 miles, plus about an hour of sprints and 90 minutes of basketball
Biking: 18 miles
Swim: 0

What a weak week.

Andy Mar 26

Exercise- Ran 3 miles this morning and swam approx 750m in the afternoon.

Diet:
Breakfast- Cheese omlete with mango salsa topping
Lunch- Fully loaded shredded pork burrito from Burrito Heaven
Dinner- Chicken Breast with mango salsa on top of basmati rice.

Andy Mar 25

IM BACK!

After a week of ridiculousness, uncertainty, minimal exercise, and indulgences I'm ready to start fresh again. My shoulder is at 85% now and I'll be working hard to stay on track this time.

Exercise- This morning I ran to the gym which is about .75 miles away and biked for 30 min. Afterwards I ran back. After work I played in a volleyball game. I planned on swimming afterwards but the pool was closed...

Diet:
Breakfast- V8
Lunch- Congee
Dinner- 2 Spicy chicken sandwiches and a rodeo cheeseburger (I thought I was going to swim... my bad)

March 23, 24 - Shane

3/23:

Workout - 60 minutes on the bike, random hill function on the bike to mix it up. I ended up hovering between around 120 watts and 260 watts, and ultimately did 700 calories and 18 miles in 60 minutes. Obviously less efficient than a steady pace/resistance, but I'm trying to build up power/speed as well.

3/24:

Sprints for 30 minutes, then pushups/abs for 30 minutes with the platoon. Then I worked a 17 hour workday so I didn't get any time to work out. Also, the platoon ordered pizza so I broke my diet spectacularly with many slices of pizza and 2 cups of Sprite. But screw that, working till 11PM gives me an excuse. It'll just build up glycogen for tomorrow's workout.