What the hell am I doing?

You are probably wondering what I have been up to or what my plans/goals are going to be for the year.

Quite simply, as of this morning I am down 19lbs from the 1st of the year.

I have been doing P90X and very minimal running/cycling. I needed to get some meat on my bones again, I am tired of feeling "skinny", I wanted to feel "normal".

For me, normal is probably very different from most people, growing up in construction I have always had a good amount of muscle mass. Endurance sports pretty much strip your body clean of muscle mass and leaves you w/ those long lean muscles.

My thoughts thus far were, January was a cut month. February is a bulk month (back off on calorie cutting). March will be a cut month to get my weight to 190lbs (my goal weight).

What I have noticed is that I have been getting huge gains on the lifting front. I am repping pullups and chinups without using a chair to get up and have increased all of my weights several times. I see great definition trying to peak through.

The reason I backed off of the diet a bit is because I wanted to have more weight on my body for a lot of the lifting exercises (which use your body weight majority of the time) and for running.

It's no question that if someone trains to run weighing about 20lbs heavier than they race at... they will be a MUCH stronger runner on race day. I am a unique person, while it's fun to throw my weight loss and gain numbers out there, I can gain/drop weight very easy. I know my body very well and I make all of the proper adjustments to drop weight as efficiently as possible (none of which are detrimental to my health, I never reduce my water intake which is over a gallon a day).

So February has been my month to maximize my workouts w/ my current body weight. It's a kickstart program so to speak. I have run a 10 miler and a 4 miler the next day and had no issues w/ heart rate or leg tiredness. This surprised me since I have only run a handful of times with all but one workout at 3 miles or less haha.

So far I think this is working for me. When I hit the 200lb mark, probably this weekend, I will do my first time trial for the 5min mile. At that point the training plan is put into effect.

Probably won't be updating much since it's all the same old boring crap... I will list my mile attempts and my thoughts on where I am at. Other than that, the blog is going to be boring lately, not much else going on.

Thanks for reading!

Some Hunting Pictures (not graphic)

They aren't graphic because I didn't get anything haha. But Matt wanted some pictures so I took some.

All in all I had a chance to hit a flock flying over me, I felt they were out of range, tried to call them down and they were gone. In hind sight, I should have tried because that was the best chance I had all day.

My decoys and location. It was in the center of two tree lines

and the end of a plowed field. 

My blind. I added some more camo after this picture

to cover that tan that was showing (you wouldn't have been

able to see it if I took the pic then :)  )

Essentially you sit in this caterpillar sleeping bag

type contraption, you see a bird, pull the hood/mesh

part back and shoot.

My decoys. 

The view from my blind... it messes w/ your eyes

after a couple hours.

A shot further away of my blind. I set it up near the tree so
I would have a bit more natural cover.

The view from the blind w/ the mesh hood back... yes, those

are my size 13 feet in the picture.

So, I have finally figured out all the info I need on geese. I know when they feed, where they go to feed based on the topography/geography of the areas and I just need to be able to get better at my goose call to bring them down to meet my decoys :)

Training wise, things are going GREAT. Down a total of 8lbs from last Monday when I started training. Been getting some low running miles and low biking miles in. P90X has been GREAT as well. Feel amazing after the lifting. I have been adjusting my food a bit, I was down to 1,000-1,500 calories a day and realized that I can't sustain the workouts and daily function on that. So I bumped it up a bit and have been feeling a bit more alert.

The calf issue has kind of worked itself out, with thanks to Heather's Normatec recovery boots. 5 Straight days of wearing them for a bit over an hour each time and the minimal running/riding seems to have remedied whatever the heck was going on. Hoping it's fully gone and not going to continue to rear it's ugly head w/ future racing/working out.

Thanks for reading!

Don't call it a come back...

That's been stuck in my head. So true and so lame haha.

My thoughts as of late...

• Time to take health serious and lose weight.
• Plan on crushing a 5 minute mile, my real goal is 4:45.
• My first attempt will be when I hit 200lbs.
• I have a weird injury on my legs. Right above the calf muscle and immediately below the knee pit (... that is a medical term right?). It feels like someone took a ratchet and cranked it three times. Been hurting for a week. Had two ART appts w/ no improvement.
• Currently working out on it and picking up intensity. Dr. thinks I may need to push through this one to get it to loosen up.
• Which brings me to my next point... what the fuck. Every year I have a new injury that I have never dealt w/ before.
• Workouts... these will be completely different than in the past. Plan on using P90X as my core workout. All of my "endurance" work will be done w/ a warm up period, very high intensity work period, then a cool down. One day a week I will go long. My goal is to drastically increase my short burst muscles. My goal is to only do Oly's this year if I do any tri's at all. Oly's are balls to the wall for the whole thing. Anyone can race for 2 hrs going hard.... no need for crazy endurance work for that.
• I have been going hunting a bunch. I have tons of gear, blinds, decoys blah blah blah. Only got one thing so far. Each trip out has been a huge learning experience. Coming from no hunting background, this is all new unfamiliar territory for me. The few trips I have taken so far have been very interesting in one way or another... to the point that I am scared to hunt alone. That being said I plan on going out on my last hunting trip Saturday morning.... I reallllllly want a goose.

That's about it. Clean eating has commenced, steady workouts has commenced and already my mind is feeling sharper and more focused. No more downward spiraling, time to grab control and get some awesome gains this year.

Thanks for reading!

Almost done w/ my off season...

So I have done NOTHING regarding organized training since Cedar Point. I ran a marathon the month after and felt good. But that's it.

So I am almost at the point where I want to train again... but believe me, I am not there yet.

I am going to take another full week off to get to December before I start training.

Now, this guy here Jeff stated his goal for next year... pretty lofty. I too make goals... only mine are actually fun goals... Jeff, sorry your goal sounds like a major suffer fest.

My goal for next spring? Sub 5 minute mile.

I know how I am going to achieve it training wise... but I am still going back on forth on my actual running training plan.

I don't plan on running a 4:59 mile either. I plan on crushing my goal. I got low 5's w/out proper speed work, so I know this is a feasible goal.

Why is this a fun goal? Because technically my workouts will only be like 15-30 minutes long. Ummm hello?!?! How awesome is that?

Yup, so there you have it. December will be the start of my base training. My biggest concern is my left calf muscle, I pulled it a few weeks back pushing our jet ski into the garage and it still flares up on our hikes... assuming some ART will fix that up right away though.

Until December... Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!

ODNR Hunter Education Program

So this past weekend I took part in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Hunter Education Program.

This is a link to their page if you would like more information: ODNR Hunter education Information

It was a 2 day course w/ an exam at the end that you must pass in order to obtain a hunting license in Ohio. The reason I wanted to take the course is that I have never gone hunting, my dad never encouraged hunting or any self sufficient lifestyle as I was growing up... however I have always been very intrigued w/ fishing, hunting and farming.

So, I finally decided it was time to pursue this.

The course was a bit surprising on many levels. Mainly the amount of information I learned about hunting in general and the fact that half of the course participants were 10 and under (there were about 40 people there).

Some really cool things I learned is that hunting regulations came into effect from the actual hunters themselves. In the 1800's the settlers pretty much hunted and killed everything and destroyed all of the habitats that the wildlife lived in by clearing land for farming and draining marshes and wetlands for farming as well.

The hunters got to a point where there was nothing left to kill. There were ZERO white tail deer left in the state of Ohio, after conservation and regulation efforts, there are over 550,00 white tail deer in Ohio in 2000.

Wild turkeys were completely eliminated from Ohio as well. Nesting pairs were reintroduced in the 1950's and now there are over 200,000 wild turkeys as of the year 2000.

Bald eagles were hunted down to only 4 nesting pairs in 1979. Again through conservation and regulation, there were 63 nesting pairs in the year 2000.

This is huge! Our state went from almost a completely depleted area to being a lush area of wildlife. Now this isn't just for the hunters, nature lovers enjoy the animals as well and by insuring a safe lush habitat for the animals it means that the earth is better off in the end as well.

So all that was new to me. By restricting hunting seasons they allow animals to reproduce and restock the environment. But what about killing the animals?

Now this is the touchy subject that people are VERY opinionated about. Here's the thing, by initially killing off all the animals and predators, there is no "natural control" of the land anymore. Habitats can only sustain a certain number of animals... this is called a carrying capacity. (The number of each wildlife species that can live w/in a certain area and remain healthy and not damage the habitat)

So if we did not hunt the animals and thin the heard essentially they will be overcrowded and die off from starvation, disease, poor habitat. A quick example is that there is only so much cover for waterfowl since we got rid of most of the wetlands in Ohio. The more waterfowl there are the less available cover there will be ... which means that they will not have proper living conditions, get disease or starve to death.

Hunting is not always done for sport or food. Sometimes it is done to control populations of certain species.

A majority of Ohio's park system as been created and preserved due to hunting money. I did not know this. Hunting brings in big money to the state and is SELF FUNDED (meaning they do not get money from the government). Park systems were created to ensure a proper habitat for the different species and are enjoyed by sportsmen and nature lovers alike. So if you love nature but hate hunting... you kind of owe hunters credit for creating those parks you enjoy so much.

So more or less wildlife management is a big deal and has been maintained through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources wildlife officers.

I learned all sorts of other cool stuff like the responsibility of the hunter is to train and practice properly to ensure a quick humane kill each time. Laws that were enacted that have reduced hunting injuries by over 80% in just one year of being active... etc.

This course was held at the Portage Summit Field & Stream Club and was about an hour from my house. It is free in the state of Ohio and an EXCELLENT source of information regarding our park system and hunting in general. The instructors were very friendly and very knowledgeable. The game warden for that county came in, introduced himself, and explained a lot of the state regulations to us as well. The course was geared to INFORMING the participants to be educated and aware of proper and safe hunting practices.

While there is a large responsibility to manage the wildlife populations, it is even more important for everyone to be safe and respectful of their environment around them.

Even if you do not plan on hunting, it was a great course to take to educate yourself regarding hunting and conservation efforts in the state of Ohio.

Thank you to the ODNR for putting on such a well instructed course.

Thank you for reading!

So now what?

Not sure what I want to do next. After being bored w/ the marathon I am not sure what will keep me intrigued and give me whatever payoff it is that I am seeking.

The adrenaline and rush used to be my drug of choice... sadly I haven't been feeling it as of late during the races.

Heather is running the Nike Women's Marathon this weekend and I am coaching. I am coaching the first 10 miles which involves making sure the other Team in Training participants are doing alright, see if they need nutrition, motivation, etc. However through some paperwork shuffling, I might have been accidentally signed up to run the race as well. In which case I will start the race w/ the early morning walkers and run to my station w/ my bib on, fulfill my coaching duties and run the rest of the race :).

My thought process is that I will be much more of a help on the actual course than at the finish line cheering for people.

After that, probably a month of laying low, getting fat and keeping up w/ my landscaping accounts. I don't have anyone working for me this year (first time in a long time) and it will take a lot longer to clean up leaves now.

Next year. Well, my thoughts right now are to finally focus and train properly for the five minute mile barrier. I would also like to get a low 17 minute 5k.

I think these are short enough distances that I can focus on them and still do what I want outside of training. As of right now I may be hanging up my triathlon racing attire for a year or so.

Now, if you are a long time follower you know that my plans change every week. However, this is where I am at right now. Totally not feeling the endurance sports vibe. Want to focus on some smaller goals probably next year.

Thanks for reading!

2012 Towpath Marathon Race Report

I ran a marathon on Sunday. I came off of all of my triathlon training and having run 3 half marathons in a month I felt I had a decent base to try and get 2 longer runs in and run a marathon.

I ran a 16 miler and a 17.5 miler (was running w/ some friends and they cut the run short, was supposed to be 20).

I ran 1 or 2 times during the week.

To say I did not have a structured running plan would be more of an understatement. But, you all know me, I am a glutton for punishment and when I get something in my head I go through and do it.

Heather was debating on running at all since she is running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco the next weekend but I talked her into doing the 10k :)

The day before the race was gorgeous which meant, fall cleanups and cutting all my accounts. I got home and we headed right out for the wedding we had to go to too. I ate a full dinner at 4pm of "safe" food for my stomach and did not plan on eating at the reception.

Frank was mad he couldn't go eat all the food too.

Getting ready for a night out.

We got to the wedding and sure enough, I inhaled all the food in sight, I was a bit worried about my stomach during the race but said oh well.

We got home at 9:30pm or so and got all our clothes ready for the morning.

Race Day.

We got up at 5:15am to get out the door at 6am. I ate my blueberry eggo waffles coated in syrup and we were off.

We drove separately since the half marathon and marathon started at different locations.

Heather's mom rode w/ me since she was going to be cheering on the course (due to the start locations my start was closest to the finish) and she had Sophie w/ her for her first big cheerleading day!!!

You will have to read about Heather's race at her blog .

I hit the port a pot 3 x's and instantly regretted the wedding food I woofed down. But, this was just for fun and just to finish another marathon and continue my 1 marathon a year streak we have been maintaining the last 3 years.

So there was no pressure, no stress. If anything I was super laid back and chill.

I chatted w/ some guy who was from St. Louis and just moved up there. He seemed super chatty and made the wait at the start line fly by.  So much so that I actually didn't hear the bell go off at the start and still had my tear  away pants on and my top on haha.

It was chip timing so I took my time getting my throw away clothes off and got my music cued up and was ready to run... however I was the last person to cross the start line haha.

So the first 2 miles was dodging tons of people trying to find people at my pace.

I went out pretty conservatively... well, for me. First mile was 7:25 haha and then I yelled at myself to back off. Clicked off a few 8:15's and then settled into a nice 8 min pace consistently for the first 8.5 miles.

This course is gorgeous. The course is all cinders through the Cleveland Metroparks which is part of the National Park system. I have run probably 99% of every single run in my life on these trails or in this park system. I know the course very well and I am very happy to continue to support them. The past two years I set my 13.1 PRs on this course and was finally happy to be running the full here. 

The leaves have all turned and it was low 40's (PERFECT weather). I tried so hard to settle into a groove but it never happened.

We turned around at 8.5 miles or so and at this point I started dropping to low 7's. I was shocked how great I felt. My legs felt fresh and I was breathing normally... like I wasn't even doing anything.

I hit the half point at 1:43:00. I felt pretty happy w/ this. I did not walk once which was my goal. From this point on though I started doing a run-walk approach where I run 1 mile and then walk a minute.  Up until this point I drank about 8 oz of water. I drank about another 8 oz for the rest of the race.

I still never settled into a groove and knew that mile 17 was where Heather, her mom and Sophie were waiting to cheer for me. However, I just kept chugging along. I varied from 8:30's and 9:00/mile pace from here on out (including the walk time).

I saw Heather at the cheer spot and she said I looked tired. I told her I was actually really freaking bored. 

Best cheerleaders EVER! Heather finished her 10k

and was freezing at this point. Sophie has her cheerleader

coat on.

This might be the last marathon I run in a long time. I wasn't tired at all. I never took any nutrition for the whole race. I was just super freaking bored. After 2 hours it was hell mentally for me. I felt very good and actually passed a ton of people during the second half haha. Some people would pass me when I walked and then I would fly past them when I ran and never see them again. It was actually comical that by walking for 13 minutes or so of the race that I was still passing people like crazy haha. I think I am just at a point where marathons either aren't challening me or they are just not providing the satisfaction that you get when you accomplish something.

I knew I would not get a PR but I did want to beat my second fastest marathon time of 3:45. I did this and felt great in the process. I ended up w/ a 3:37:42 (8:19/mile avg pace). Honestly marathons are funny, you see so many people suffering badly to achieve their goals and you see other people that are out there for fun and don't have any pain in their eyes at all. Fortunately I was the fun one for once.

My stomach never acted up during the race. I was well hydrated and actually had to stop and pee for once during a race!!! 

When I finished I ate 3 snickers bars. I wanted chocolate milk big time and ended up driving up to the store to get a half gallon, of which I chugged it all haha.

I have mixed feelings in general. I don't know if I just don't know how to "enjoy myself" during a race and not go out full go and see what my body has to offer or not. Personally I think having a decent PR of 3:19 is my problem. It is at the cusp of having to train diligently to run a marathon faster than that... yet I can't just go out and run it either. So I don't see myself trying to get a PR anytime soon.

Regardless, for me, I had a rough mental day and did not zone out once during the run. I was constantly thinking how bored I was and that anything over a 13.1 is pure mental torture for me. Maybe it was because I really didn't do much long running and wasn't mentally prepared, but in the end I was super happy to finish w/ a decent time and feel as good as I did. I left a lot out there and was proud of myself for not racing this like I typically do.

Thanks to the Metroparks for putting on such a great event and for continually maintaining the wonderful park system we have.

Thank you all for reading!