Workout 6/28

Okay, so I'm not following the training schedule to the "T." Today Dan and I went out for a long run since Dan hasn't had the chance to get one of those in with his busy schedule. I think I might be regretting it when I have another long run on Saturday morning. Oh, and I found out that running in the afternoon is HARD...especially if you've just eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a half hour before your long run. It was quite sad to need some walking breaks, but I'm glad I did; otherwise, I don't think I'd be walking right now.

Run: 11 miles (embarrassing time so I'm not going to post it...BOO!)

Workout 6/27

Evie is obviously ready for CrossFit. She can do what her daddy can't do. Just look at that perfect L Pull-up. My CrossFit workout called for those, but after trying one, I was done. So CrossFit had to be seriously modified today. But on the plus-side, my run this morning was fabuloso.

Run: 3 miles (25.00, 8:20 pace)

CrossFit: 20 minutes of rounds completed: 5 Box Jumps, 5 Jumping Pull-ups, 10 modified Knees-to-Elbows (8 Rounds + 5 Box Jumps)

Workout 6/26

Marathon training RAWKS! Ah, summer heat and humidity! Ain't it great!

Run: 6.0 miles (51.46, 8:37 pace)

Yes, back to a pace that I like. Guess I gotta keep some weight off too. Maybe that'll help!

Workout 6/25

Well, it was back to the grind today in a few ways. We're back from vacation, so the beach and pool fun are over. Not totally, I suppose we could go to the Chicago beaches, but they're not as fun. Back from vacation also meant back to work for me. Summer school started today, so I met my new kiddies for the next seven weeks. I know about half of them, so this shouldn't be too bad. It's just going to be HOT! 100 year old buildings really know how to retain heat. Last but certainly not least was back to working out regularly. CrossFit greeted me with a sinister smile today as I couldn't even do my last set of push-ups. I mean really, push-ups!?! I thought they could be so easy. Not today though!

Run: 3.2 miles (28.05, 8:46 pace)

CrossFit: 15-12-9 reps of:
Handstand Push-ups
Bar Dips
Push-ups
(Did everything except last rep set of regular push-ups; could only squeeze out one measly push-up)

Workout 6/22

Wow, I needed a long run to stick in to this whole weekend. It was the first time I woke up when I had set my alarm. 6:00 AM! On vacation! Can you believe it? Anyway, you're probably saying, what's the big deal? Maybe it's not a big deal, but the bed is indescribably comfy. So, I set out a 10 mile run, and I came home soaking wet. It's so hot and humid here, even at that time of the morning. I am glad that I got a majority of the run in before the sun got high in the sky. Oh, and my reward was to see a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean as I ran up the beach.

Run: 10.07 miles (1:31.02, 9:02 pace)

Workout 6/20

Argh! I'm getting fat on vacation...time to head out for a run.

Run: 4.93 miles (43:19, 8:47 pace)

I best get back into a routine next week!

Workout 6/18

Ah beautiful, wonderful vacation! I am in Georgia along the beautiful Atlantic coast right now in an air conditioned house with nothing to worry about other than how hot and how cloudy it might be today. Sitting on the beach and at the pool has zapped my desire to run and workout, but I am on a schedule. It's so hard to wake up and put on those running shoes when one can lay there in bed and think about all the other fun things to do in the day around here. By the way, I recommend coming down here to St. Simons Island, GA if you ever get the chance. It's quaint, quiet, and offers quality chill time. Well, since I am "training" for a marathon, I suppose I ought to post my runs. So here they are:

Run: 4.35 miles (39:44, 9:08 pace)

It's hot and humid when running, so I am a bit slower here. But hey, it's summer, so I ought to get used to it. It's not like Chicago's any different.

Workout 6/15

Run: 5 miles (43.22, 8:40 pace)

Workout 6/13

Run: 5+ miler (no time today)

Characters Come to Life

Isn't it fun to see the characters you remember most in books you've read come to life? The family had a chance to experience this over the weekend when we went to the Printer's Row Book Fair. Obviously, Evie had the chance to hang out with Clifford and Curious George. She fell in love with them the moment she saw them. It was obvious how much fun she was having when she immediately put her arm around Curious George.

I also had the chance to meet a character from a book I asked my wife for Christmas. As I was walking around some booths, I saw a man who was wearing a t-shirt that advertised that he had run marathons in all 50 states. That rung a bell with me and recognized his face as the author of Our Life on the Run. Marlin Kessler set out to run a marathon in all 50 states, but it wasn't all for his benefit. His children live with learning disorders and struggle within the schooling that they receive. So in order to make their learning more real and tangible, Marlin takes his family to these marathons in order to see the U.S. and experience some of the places and events that they learn about in school. It is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend reading it.

All in all it was a beautiful weekend in the city!

Workout 6/12

Okay, fine, I'll get up! That's what I had to tell myself this morning after hitting the snooze button and trying to talk myself out of working out this morning. Then Ezra decided to by my inner conscience and cry to wake me up. So, it's about time to get serious...I'm really struggling with getting up and out to the gym or to the running path. But, I better start being more serious since 2 marathons are now in the nearer future.

Run: 3.2 miles (27.31, 8:35 pace)

CrossFit:
Rep sets of 15-12-9 of:
135# Deadlifts
Handstand Push-ups (semi-modified)

Workout 6/9

It's back to marathon training with another Team M3 training run. Today called for an 8 mile run, and it was finally nice weather that put a smile on my face. However, after the time away from running consistently due to being all over the place and a bit injured or sick, that was difficult. The teens sped ahead and kept us all very honest with our abilities. We all kept together as a group for the first half, but then the "old fogeys" started to lag behind. I guess that's just the natural way of things. If your curious as to where our run went, please click on the milage. It will take you to a map of our run. Of course, I didn't time this run because the point is to mentor a teen, not race them. We were going at an 8 something minute/mile pace, but I think I slowed down a bit at the end. One of these days I'll time it and figure out how we're doing. For now, here's our run.

Run: 8.19 miles

Workout 6/7

Okay, okay...my leg is finally feeling better, and official marathon training has begun, so I decided to get back out there and attack the road. I did take it easier today since it was my first day back to running in about a week. It's now about 18 weeks to the Chicago Marathon where I will be running with Team M3. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to train with them much lately since I have either been sick, out of town, or slightly injured. But I am looking forward to this Saturday's training run and getting back with the high school students. But for now, here's my workout for today:

Run: 3.2 miles (29.26, 9.12 pace)

CrossFit: 20 Pull-ups, 20 Dips (assisted)

Update 6/1

So that work out really screwed me up...like CrossFit's motto..."mess you up!" I think I might have torn a bit of my hamstring. Walking is more like a shuffle, and my knee keeps popping some 'cause my muscles aren't doing their job like they should be. I'm taking a bit of time off from running, but things are starting to feel better each day. I think I might take up some cycling while I stay off my feet and focus on upper body work too.

Hello...

Peek-a-boo! It's amazing how much fun a box can be to a child. Evie loves to pretend she is going "nigh-nigh" in her Phil-n-Ted's box. Then when she's about to wake up, she peeks out just like this cute picture.

Workout 6/1

Please try this workout...just once for a feeling of what CrossFit can do to you!

CrossFit:
3 Rounds for time of:
Walking lunges for 75 Ft.
35 Squats
35 Back Extensions
(16.50)

This is a shortened version of the original CrossFit posting of 5 rounds, 100 ft. lunges, 50 squats, and 50 back ext. All I have to say is my legs were shaking uncontrollably for at least 15 minutes after this workout. Walking down stairs will be a real treat today. But to tell the truth, I can't wait until I get a repeat of this workout. Please, try this one!