Workout 11/29/11: 400m Runs...Sucking Wind!

50 mph winds! Fun to watch the waves on Lake Michigan. Not fun to run in. But I sucked it up and sucked wind.

Workout: 400m Runs
Warm-up: 1-Mile Run
Workout: 400m up-tempo + 400m jog (x6)
Cool-down: Run back to school

Counting down the days to 603PTP. I don't think I have looked forward to 5 weeks of strength training like this in my life. Ready to go!

Workout 11/28/11: Deadlift + Run

This is the FINAL week of my 12-week Beginner's CrossFit Workouts. I am excited to move into the next phase of strength training using the 603 PTP. One of my favorite things about the CrossFit community is the openness to share programs that work for many different types of athletes (CrossFit Endurance, CrossFit Football, PTP programs, etc). This next phase will begin with a CrossFit Total calculation. I will then set goals from there. Let's see how consistent I can be. My ultimate goal is to finish what I start in the intended time set to finish it.

Today's Workout:
Warm-up: 1-Mile Run
Workout: 145# Deadlift x 12 + Run (x3)
Cool-down: Indoor Around the School

Workout 11/21/11: Deadlift + Run

Back to the Grind! After a weekend, it's back to the routine of working out and working. Since the beginning of the school year, I've had a student-teacher. What a blessing that has been, but now her time is winding down. That means I'll be picking up the work. It's like starting the school year all over again. I actually prefer to be back to the grind. It's fun to teach and influence the knowledge students pick up. It's also fun to see their brains work. It's like working out; you get to see how your body works. So here I am, back to the grind.

Workout: Deadlift + Run
Warm-up: 1 Mile Run
Workout: 140# Deadlift x 12 + 400m Run (x3)
Cool-down: Stretch
*Photo courtesy of CrossFit Troy

Workout 11/17/11: 5 x 400m...Stoke the Fire!

Ah, what a difference 24 hours of rest between workouts makes. Today's workout was challenging (of course), but the engine's fire was stoked and I was energized for it. If fact, that was my mantra today...stoke the fire. On the last two 400m "sprints," I had to drive myself through it with that phrase repeating in my head. So let's keep it stoked!

On a side note, I decided what my next "exercise routine" would be after this 12-week pre-CrossFit training ended. On December 4, I will begin the "603 PTP" program. This program is put together by CrossFit 603 AKA CrossFit Whole9. It builds on the work I have been doing with deadlifts & push-presses, so I figured it was logical and fun. Join me for the fun if you're willing.

Workout: 5 x 400m
Warm-up: 1 Mile Run
Workout: 5 x 400m (400m fast, 400m slow five times)
Cool-down: 5 Minute Run

*Photo above taken from here.

Run Junkie 11/16/2011

Watch more video of Run Junkie on flotrack.org

Ahh, what a fun show. My favorite in-depth news reporting on the best sports ever...cross country and track.

9 Things...

I just read a good article titled "Nine Things Successful People Do Differently" by Heidi Grant Halvorson.

In a nutshell...
1) Get Specific
2) Seize the Moment to Act on Your Goals
3) Know Exactly How Far You Have Left to Go
4) Be a Realistic Optimist
5) Focus on Getting Better, Rather than Being Good
6) Have Grit
7) Build Your Willpower Muscle
8) Don't Tempt Fate
9) Focus on What You Will Do, Not What You Won't Do

So I would like to be "successful" at this fitness thing...oh wait...Get Specific. I would like to be successful at losing weight first. So here goes...
1) Get Specific...Scale Reading 190# by 12/31/2011 (Currently at 195#)
2) Seize the Moment...Workout 5 days a week for 30+ Minutes (4 CrossFit Intro, 1 Long Run)
3) Know Exactly How Far You Have Left...5# To Go...Daily Weigh-ins.
4) Be a Realistic Optimist...I CAN DO IT EVEN ON DAYS THINGS DON'T GO TO PLAN.
5) Focus on Getting Better...Yep!
6) Have Grit...I'm committed to it LONG-TERM
7) Build Your Willpower Muscle...I need to limit my "sugar, spice, and everything nice" to smaller things within 30 minutes of my workouts.
8) Don't Tempt Fate...Let's lose the weight first.
9) Focus on what you will do...See above.

Purpose in EVERY Step.

Workout 11/16/11: Push Press + Run

Working out with less than 24 hours between workouts is more difficult than I would have expected. Or is it that waking up at 4:20am to work out threw me off today. Either way, this morning's workout was not easy. In fact, it was the first time that I did not get through my sets unbroken during the past 10 weeks. But in the scheme of things, I am just happy that I am able to wake up every morning and have the capabilities of doing what I do. Now if I can only get myself revved up to teach my students. Slowly, but surely.

Workout: Push Press & Run
Warm-up: Treadmill Running for 10:00
Workout: 85# Push Press x 12 + 400m Run (x3)
Cool-down: Treadmill Walking

*IMPRESSIVE SIR! What will I be able to do at the fresh age of 61? This is Ted G. from CrossFit Rochester. Photo courtesy of CrossFit Rochester and CrossFit Affiliates Page.

Workout 11/15/11: 5 x 400m

What a beautiful afternoon for running outside on the southwest side of Chicago. Nearly 60 degrees, light breeze, sun in the evening sky, airplanes flying overhead around Midway Airport, and fall colors in the trees and on the ground. Next time I complain about Chicago's weather or exaggerate the amount of winter months around here, I will remember a day like today. It's mid-November, and I am still outside and comfortable. Yes, tomorrow will be far different, but for today I've soaked in a good memory.

Workout: 5x400m Runs
Warm-up: 1 Mile
5x400m Runs (400m faster, 400m slower x 5)
Cool-down: 1 Mile

FYI: I am in Week 10 of a 12-week CrossFit pre-training. I am just trying to get my weight down and build some running and lifting endurance. What comes after this pre-training will remain to be seen. I am playing around with a few ideas (CrossFit Kids workouts because they look more fun than the Main Site WODs, P90X again to see if I can get through all 90 days, or modified CrossFit WODs from Brand X Martial Arts). Any recommendations?

Workout 11/14/11: Deadlift & Run

“I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.” 1 Cor. 9:26

I return to this core Bible verse that started this blog in the first place. Yes, this is a blog about my fitness goals for the most part, but there is much more to me. This verse is motivation for many things in my life. Utmost, this verse refers to my Christian life. I have a goal, to live a life that glorifies my God and my Maker. If you come to this blog, I hope you get that sense.

Workout: Deadlifts & Run
WU: Run 1 Mile
Workout:
135# Deadlift x 12
Run 400m
Deadlift x 12
Run 400m
Deadlift x 12
CD: Run 1 Mile

*Photo courtesy of CrossFit Mt. Olympus...thanks for the chuckle.

Weekend Update: 11/11-11/13

Veterans' Day Weekend proved to be a good one as the weather was perfect for outdoor activities and motivation was high to do things that were more active. Saturday was the Big Day of them all fitness-wise as the kids and I ran races at Navy Pier. I ran the "Chicago Perfect 10" 10k race...6.2 miles of beautiful lakefront running. My two oldest kiddos ran the Bubba Gump "Run Forrest Run" kids races at the Quality of Life Expo at Navy Pier. My 6-year-old daughter won her race for 5-6 year-olds. Of course, there were only two runners, but a win is a win. My 4-year-old son came in second place in his race. Talk about running with intensity, watching my kids was inspirational for me.

Chicago Perfect 10: 10k Race


Not my greatest 10k, but good enough for me as I return to having purpose in every step of my fitness training. Official Time: 54:42

Workout 11/10/11: 4 Mile Run

"Try not to become a man of success but a man of value."
- Albert Einstein

Well, put Mr. Einstein. By no means am I a man as intelligent as Einstein, but one can see that success fades, but values & morals leave far greater legacy. At the beginning of the school year, our school's staff reflected on what sort of legacy we want to pass on to our students. It was a fascinating exercise in thinking about what we want students to leave our school with. Do we want to push success and value its benefits? Of course. But many times over, I heard the sentiment that we wanted our students to leave school with values: respect, integrity, & responsibility. I hope this develops our students into individuals of value and success.

Workout: Simply, run 4 Miles.

Workout 11/9/11: Push Press & Run

What a fitting quote on CrossFit's main page today:

"We are either progressing or retrograding all the while; there is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life."
- James Freeman Clarke

Based on yesterday's blog post, I am trying to progress. And progress for me means losing weight, getting healthy, and working out. Well, one more day gets added to my streak today. 3 days working out, the scale is nicer to me, and I feel good. Sore? Yes. But a good sore for all it's worth.
Today's Workout: Push Presses & Running
Warm-up: 1 Mile Run
Workout:
80# Push Press x 12
Run 400m
Push Press x 12
Run 400m
Push Press x 12
Run 400 (oops, was supposed to stop)
Push Press x 12 (yep, I'll pay for that extra set) *photo courtesy of Cascade CrossFit

Workout 11/8/11: 4 x 400m

Progress people, progress! That's what this is all about. Every step has a purpose. Whether it's a step outside to go for a run. Or a step to open a book you've always wanted to read but never had time for. Or a step toward resolving an issue in a relationship. It's all about progress.

And what am I progressing toward? Many things. But here we are following my progress toward a weight goal and fitness goal. So progress today was stringing together days of physical activity. And a streak has started...2 days in a row of exercise.

Workout: 4x400m
Simply running as continuously as possible with a boost of speed for 400 meters.
1 Mile Warm-Up
400m Fast
400m Slow
400m Fast
400m Slow
400m Fast
400m Slow
400m Fast
1/2 Mile Cool-Down

199.5#...Closing in on 200!

I welcome myself back to having purpose in every step. For those of you who check this blog, sorry! This is my fourth time re-committing myself to recording things on this blog. We'll see how it goes this time. But a milestone is upon me...weighing nearly 200 lbs., and I do not want to reach this milestone. So I'm back to having purpose in every step by way of fitness. Other areas of my life show purpose in every step, but my health has started to get away from me. So today I recommitted. So here it is.

11/7/11 Workout: Run & Deadlift
Warm-up: 1 Mile Run
Workout:
12 x 130# Deadlift
Run
12 x Deadlift
Run
12 x Deadlift
Cool-Down: Stretch

Purpose in Every Step...Step 1