Workout 5/30

Oh wow! Days like these remind you not to take too many days off from working out, 'cause it comes back to haunt you. I don't think I will be able to lift my arms to hug my lovely wife or pick up my beautiful children too much today. A couple extra pounds after a week's laziness makes everything more difficult.

Run: 30 minute run

CrossFit:
65# Hanging Power Cleans (15, 12, 9)
Pull-ups and Dips (30, 15, 10)

Weak; my scheduled workouts were definitely curtailed some today due to my time off lately. Time to get back to business though.

Workout 5/28-Memorial Day

Run: 5.8 miles (48.54, 8.26/mile pace)

CrossFit: Burpee Ladder
From 10 Burpees to 1 Burpee

Okay, so I like using the excuse that I am still recovering from being sick, but I guess I can't use that excuse anymore. I need to get back into the habit of waking up at 4:45 AM, but it is getting harder. I should just convince myself that it would be good to get out before it gets hot. Alright, I'll do it, just so I am not embarrassed when my marathons come around and I can't keep up with the goals I have set out for myself. We'll see what tomorrow brings (3 miles and strength training is on the schedule).

Workout 5/25

Yeah, I'm feeling better, and it's back to the grindstone.

Run: 45 minute pace (5.31 miles, 8:28/mile)

CrossFit: 5-5-5-5-5 reps or Back Squats
(95#, 115#, 135#, 155#, 185#)

Yikes, my quads! They burn a little. We'll see if I can get out of bed tomorrow for the Team M3 training. Yes, yes, I WILL get out of bed for Team M3 training; ah, the power of positive thinking.

Phillips Phitness #1

Yesterday we premiered the Phillips Phitness Club. It is a sad state of American education when students do not get the chance to run around and do regular, administered physical activity due to poor physical education. It either exists but is ill-managed, or it has been totally taken out of the education environment. So we decided to have an after-school, CrossFit-style fitness club at our school. And it was a success; 6 students participated and we laughed a bunch. I just saw a student who participated wobbling down the hallway. Don't worry, it was a good muscle ache as he informed me. Here's what we did.

Warm-up (15 minutes)
Light run (10 minutes)
CrossFit: 3 Rounds for time of:
-20 Squats
-15 Sit-ups
-10 Push-ups
-5 second plank hold
(Best time-Ken 3:20)
Cool-down (5 minutes)

I can't wait to see what this sparks in our students. I hope to see a huge burst of desire to stay physically fit and focused brains due to proper health and exercise. Too bad we just thought of this at the end of the year, but there's always next year! I have to come up with some unique CrossFit exercises for high school students, so I am open to any suggestions.

Sick...BLAH!

For any of you who have been wondering, "Where have the daily posts gone?", well, I've been sick. Ugh! I can't remember a cold hitting me this hard before. I felt fine Thursday and Friday morning, but by Friday night, I was floored with a fever and major head cold. My wife and kids fled to the suburbs in an attempt to stay away from this nasty cold. But a week has almost gone by, and I am feeling better. Tomorrow I aim to get back to the gym, although I must admit that I have enjoyed sleeping in in the name of recovery.

Note on the numbness, it's still there. It has gone down some, but my pinky finger and forearm are still numb from doing the OHS almost a week ago. I might have to schedule a doctor's check up. If it doesn't feel normal by Tuesday, I'll make the call. Now you all have to hold me accountable to that.

Workout 5/17

Weak forearms = numb fingers, numb arms! Now I have to type with one hand.

Run: 3 miles (26.05)

CrossFit: 5 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
45# Overhead Squats x 15
(20.42)

Those OHS were killer! And did I mention that they were a bit U-G-L-Y too! But practice is improving those.

Workout 5/15

So today I discovered that if you push yourself to the limit in physical activity, you can accomplish some difficult things. I imagine that it is the same with every other area of one's life also. But today I am going to demonstrate what I did physically.

Run: Warm-up, 7 x 400m Sprints, Cool-down
(1.28.56, 1.29.86, 1.32.36, 1.34.12, 1.31.36, 1.33.83, 1.27.35)

Do you see that final time? My best time was my last sprint. I was so tired that I didn't think I could break 1.30. I'm so glad I decided to go outside and do these today because I was tired of running on the treadmill. Plus, I had the chance to surprise myself.

Workout 5/14

Run: 4.1 Miles (36.49)

CrossFit: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Rep Sets
35# Dumbbell Swings
Assisted Pull-Ups
(Time:???)

Wow! I can not believe that I did 84 Pull-ups during that whole workout. Now the trick is to make those pull-ups unassisted. I was at my nephew's place this weekend for Mother's Day and he has a playset in his backyard. Kudos to his parents for letting him be active outside. The playset had bars that were way too high for him, but just the right size for me. So for the fun of it, I thought I'd try a pull-up for the fun of it. Holy cow! I did it! I didn't want to show off, so I only did one. I wonder how many unassisted pull-ups I can do now. I'll have to give it a try soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

Oh, how beautiful! What a fine blessing I have in these lovely ones!

Workout 5/12

Yet another training run with Team M3. We ran 6 miles this morning on a chilly and windy day. This week was all about sunshine and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. So what's the deal with it being in the low 40s this morning. I guess it is still May in Chicago on the lakefront.

I had the privilage of running and walking with Jordan for a majority of the time. I was running with a fast group, but then Jordan (who was run/walking in a slower group) needed to turn around and walk back. He said he had a burning sensation in his knee, so we thought it was smart for him not to push it any more. Jordan is actually in 8th grade and has a brother and nephew who are also running with Team M3. I tell you, for an eighth grader, Jordan is one smart dude and easy to talk with.

Today's topics: fear of whales, dirty Lake Michigan water, older siblings, football, knees, and Spartans (not Michigan State, but real Spartans).

Workout 5/11

I was awarded another rest day from running based on my marathon training plan...Thank you training schedule! But I decided instead of letting my body get used to rest, I ought to do some fun CrossFit workout...so here it is:

CrossFit:
CF Warm-up x 3
As many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:
45# Hang Squat Clean x 12
Pull-ups x 7
(7 Rounds + 10 HSC)

Oh man, whoever says CrossFit doesn't wear you out must be living in a dream world. For those of you looking for something new, please try a WOD @ crossfit.com.

Cheese!

Don't you just love a child's smile! I think I'll spend this rest day making Evie smile some more 'cause she's just so cute!

Workout 5/9

Yeah, day before a rest day. I am so ready for the rest. I could sleep like my little baby boy.But in order to rest like this tomorrow morning, I had to get my workout on...so here's what I did:

Run: 3 miles (27.34)

CrossFit: Rep sets of 10-8-6-4-2 (30.24)

135# Deadlift, 95# Bench Press, 65# Clean

I still need major help on the Olympic Weightlifting Techniques. Practice, practice, practice!

Workout 5/8

Run: 10 x 200 meter sprints (8.5 mph on sprints)

CF: 30 Pull-ups/30 Dips (8.41)

I had to make up the missed dips and pull ups from yesterday. I just felt like a slacker since I didn't do the whole 60 yesterday.

Workout 5/7

I didn't get my full workout in this morning. Running 6 miles really eats up your time when you only have about an hour to stay at the gym in the morning. My arms are still shaking a bit from the CrossFit section today, and that's what I had to cut short. Boo! I'm weak

Run: 6 miles (didn't time it)

CrossFit:
30 Pull-ups
30 Dips
(Was supposed to time it, but I didn't)

I really wanted to attempt 60 pull-ups and 60 dips, but time ran out and someone was on the machine (yes, I need assistance still). Hate to say it, but I felt like puking after this morning's workout. Eww!

Cinco de Mayo Workout

Team M3 had yet another enjoyable run on Saturday morning. Here is a picture of the team. I ran with Roberto, and we talked about food. He's a big fan of any food, and his family has taught him how to cook some wonderful things. He told me his least favorite food is raw garlic. Sometimes he has to eat raw garlic when he's sick; I guess it helps him get better faster. I think if I did that, I wouldn't be able to talk to anyone for a whole week.

Run: 5 miles (conversational pace)

Workout 5/4

Oh my goodness, I never imagined the overhead squat to be so difficult. So here's how it went down this morning.

Run: 4o Minute Pace (4.60 miles)

CrossFit: 7 sets of 3 reps-Back Squats (This was supposed to be Overhead Squats)
45#-65#-95#-115#-115#-135#-145#

I probably could have gone a bit further up on the Back Squats, but yesterday's debacle made me a little leary. I tried doing Overhead Squats at 45#, but that one needs a little practice. There is so much going on in that movement, that I need to practice it a bit more before trying it with weight.

After the CF Back Squats, I did 3 sets of 10 practice Overhead Squats. I think more practice will help when it comes to doing the real movement. I'll have to study some more.

Workout 5/3

Well, today was supposed to be a rest day, but since I slept in yesterday for that long run, I figured I could just do a CrossFit at the gym this morning. Ugh! What an embarassment...I thought I could lift more weight than this...it was a humbling experience.

CF: "Lynne Modified"
3 Rounds for Max. Reps
Bench Press @ 115#
Pull-ups

Rd. 1: 12 presses, 8 pull-ups
Rd. 2: 7, 7
Rd. 3: 6, 6
TOTAL: 46!

I tried so hard to get the 7th press at the end that I nearly lost the weight. Ugh again! I had to have someone run up to spot me on that one. That was foolish on my part. Now I've learned a lesson, and my limits.

Workout 5/2

Evening Run: 8 miles (coversational pace; 1:20.38)

Ran with Dan this evening. It started off cold, windy, and foggy. It was sort of surreal after a mostly sunny day. But the winds decided to whip off the lake and create an interesting atmosphere.

Topics discussed: Superheroes (i.e. Spiderman), Work, Martyred missionaries in Turkey, Missions Opportunities, and more.

Workout 5/1

Run:
1/2 mile warm-up
6 x 400 meter speed intervals (8.5 mph)
1/2 mile cool-down

Want a back and abs workout that will fry your back for a day...try yesterday's CF. My back is still achy. That's okay though, it is one of those good aches...