The Pursuit Of A Dream, The Iron Man

Just working out...

2010-10-10T16:30:00.000-06:00

Nothing new to report. Just trying to run as much as I can and loose some darn weight so my knees don't hurt so much. Keep on keeping on my friends!

Simplifying life

2010-08-14T22:45:00.002-06:00

What is it about this day an age that we think we can't live with out the certain necessities...well that goes a bit far, maybe we should call them wantessities? I mean do we really need T.V.? Do we really need cell phones? I will admit, maybe because I am on the computer right know typing out how I feel, but what is it that most think they can not live with out it? I realize that 60 years ago not many had a T.V. in their house, nobody had a cell phone, and what the heck is a video game? The generation of kids grew up to be leaders, those that could actually hold a conversation for longer than 5 minutes, because the already text'ed, called, and tweet'ed every thing they had in their minds? We got ride of our Wii yesterday, soon we will be rid of T.V., and we haven't had a cell phone for over a year. Some might think well looky-doo at the special-wecials they so good! Whatever. I also recently just quit good ole facebook and really don't care. I feel better, more time to spend with my family and yard work and hopefully more time working out. I am trying to get back to the essence of what being me is really about. I know, I know, it is still a bit hypocritical of me while I am on the computer...but hey I still like technology (Que song from Napoleon Dynamite).

Cheers all!

Still alive...and still slacking

2010-07-29T08:09:00.002-06:00

I am starting to get bad about this posting stuff. Well, last week I got a cold that pretty much put me down. If I have learned one thing about getting sick its don't work out while sick. I always seam to make it worse or even injure myself. We got a dog about two weeks ago. So far he is a great puppy, but has a ton of energy. I decided to take him for a twenty minute run this morning. When we walk he needs to smell everything, he is afraid of every car and person, and it takes forever to get him going. This morning when we took off for a leisurely stroll, he decided he wanted to sprint. This can mean one of two things for me...I will either get in better shape...or the dog will kill me. Lets hope its not the latter. Still trying to figure out a training routine. The running will get better, but I am not sure about the biking and swimming. It just seams as though I don't have enough hours in the day, and I don't want to take away from my family with have 4 small children.

Cheers!

Still alive and ready to go.

2010-07-14T22:26:00.001-06:00

I learned a long time ago that there will always be bumps in the road of training. Last week was pretty much killed with family reunions and recovery. Monday was my own fault...stayed up to late watching "Karate Kid" Hiyah! Good flick. Tuesday I spent 8 hours driving so I could do a site visit for 2 hours and a half hour after I was back I did a 4.4 mile walk/hike with the scouts and was exhausted this morning. I still am ready for this, I just gotta get back up brush my self off and keep going. Happy Trails!

Frustrated...

2010-07-03T22:07:00.003-06:00

I want to be in shape...really, really, really badly. Not to look cool, or have a six pack abs or some crap like that. I just want to be able to run. Being 234lbs doesn't help. My knees don't hurt, but after three weeks of running the couch to 5k program my freaking shins still hurt. I hate it. This road is getting a bit bumpy for me right know. Urrrgghhh.

I guess I should have not let myself get this way. Time to work it hard and harder than I have. I know I need to take it easy on the running, but man do I want to run harder and longer. I feel so frustrated right know because I have to start so slow. I have always been someone to take something on straight on and hard.

I guess I have just had a bad day. I am sick and tired of this. I need to start meditating or doing yoga to calm myself...or maybe kickboxing.

Wednesday blabberings...

2010-06-30T07:08:00.004-06:00

Before I even started my run this morning my shins hurt. I tried running in the grass a little, but it was so uneven it was more of a pain then my shins. It did lessen the pain a bit, but not much. They hurt about the same all the way through my run, so that to me is a good thing. Why you ask? Well if they got any worse then I would know that something might be wrong. I stretched them last night, but I wonder if that is why they were hurting this morning. They hurt a bit after I stretched.

On another note I am down to 234 this morning and yesterday and the day before I was weighing consecutively at 235, so 234 is a good thing. 8lbs to go by the end of the month.

I have been reading so much stuff about running, biking, and swimming that I think my head is going to explode. There is so much info out there it is overwhelming. I think I will stick to just running and riding the bike at the gym. Sounds good to me. A guy in the office ran a marathon last week and said he ran it in 3:25, which would be awesome to me, and he was disappointed. I guess we are our own worst critic.

Have a great day.

MONDAY, MONday, monday

2010-06-28T06:41:00.003-06:00

Workouts for running this week are as follows:

5 Min Warm-up Brisk Walk
3 Min Run
2 Min Brisk Walk
3 Min Run
2 Min Brisk Walk
3 Min Run
2 Min Brisk Walk
3 Min Run
2 Min Brisk Walk
3 Min Run
2 Min Brisk Walk
5 Min Cool-down Brisk Walk

Felt good this morning until the last running interval, I just felt a little tired. The one thing that helped me was to envision what it would be like to cross that line at an Iron man with all those people cheering me on. I can't wait to do this. I am so pumped and happy to be sticking with the progress.

On a side Note I received some info that kind of got me down in the dumps. I am a scout leader for the Varsity Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America. The released new medical evaluation forms for getting physicals. We need a physical every year to go on things Like High Adventures (week long hikes, canoeing, biking, etc.) and low and behold they have now cast weight limits for boys and leaders. My weight limit is 226lbs and right now I weigh 235lbs as of this morning. I guess I will have to work my but off, literally, and get my physical done last minute. Hopefully I can do it. We are leaving August 2nd. That gives me roughly 5 weeks to drop 9 lbs.

Lets get it done.

This Morning

2010-06-25T06:54:00.006-06:00

So....I didn't want to get up this morning. We went to see our favorite comedian Brian Regan last night and it turned out to be a late night. I got up anyways, about 15 minutes later, but I still got up and ran.

Today was a run similar to Mondays post. It is not hard, and I am finding on the first three interval runs I feel great. The last two, not so much. My shins started to hurt. It wasn't so much as an intense pain, just a dull nagging pain. I read at beginnertriathlete.com that you will have to run to get past shin splints, so that is what I am doing. I have decided to listen to my body, when it hurts I stop when it feels good I go. I know that my shins aren't that bad because after a good stretch and about 10 minutes they feel fine. Walking does not hurt in the least bit so I am doing okay. If they get to painful I will rest, ice, heat, blah, blah, blah.

So as I started with a 5 min brisk walk warm-up I thought to myself, "Aw man I don't want to do this, I want to go back to sleep", then I thought, "Shut up and run". I have been pretty good about not listening to the whiny side of thoughts and just keep on keeping on! I honestly just think about my dream, what I want to accomplish and what an Iron Man is doing to train that very instant and that keeps me going. I want to be an Iron Man. I am not afraid, and I am not afraid to fail. It will happen, but you just have to brush yourself off, pick up your head, keep your eye on the goal in front of you, and push.

Have a great day!

Tuesday Workout

2010-06-22T06:56:00.003-06:00

Well I did the workout that was posted earlier, and it wasn't too bad. The only complaint is that I did start to chafe just a little bit. I always read about triathletes lubing up? I guess its time for some research.

I have found that www.beginnertriathlete.com has been an awesome place for a lot of the research I do. I was reading last night and it was talking about just the overall process of beginning. The author stated that he or she had seen beginners make the all to most common mistake over and over again. They start out with a couch-2-5k training program and one day when they are feeling great they go further than they should and injury pursues.

Now, I push myself, sometimes harder than I should. I have had my share of praying to the porcelain gods, but this time its different. I decided to stick with this plan and there is no diverting from it.

They also stated that those that are heavier should not run until they have lost a significant amount of weight. This was due to the fact that they could be injuring their knees. So this left me wondering well what do they consider by overweight? I am 240lbs at 5'-10" (108.8kg, 1.7M), but I am pretty strong and not too worried about my knees. It makes me think back to some of the biggest people I knew that lost a lot of weight was mostly due to running. I guess you just have to do what works for you.

The last thing I read was about preparing for an Iron Man and assessing goals. They stated that you should never just prepare for the big picture (Iron Man). You should prepare for the smaller picture. Now you still need to keep an goal of being an Iron man, but if your starting out, have that goal, but focus on the 5k run, then focus on the 10k run, then focus on the half marathon, the marathon, the sprint, the half Iron Man, then the Iron man. Good words to live by. Aim little, miss little.

Have a great day.

Monday Workout

2010-06-21T06:44:00.001-06:00

Monday Morning
Wake up: 5:00am
Drank two glasses of water and stretched. (And put some clothes on)
Left the house at 5:25

5 min Brisk walk
2.30 min Run
2.30 min Brisk walk
2.30 min Run
2.30 min Brisk walk
2.30 min Run
2.30 min Brisk walk
2.30 min Run
2.30 min Brisk walk
2.30 min Run
5 min Brisk walk to cool down
Stretch for 10-15 min
Shower!

Good workout. Tomorrows workout here I come.

Feeling Better

2010-06-19T15:37:00.002-06:00

Well, its Saturday, whoopee. I have always felt like the weekend was just another two days, but for what? More chores, more listening to screaming children, and sometimes more work. Yay. Can't you feel my enthusiasm? Ha.

Well I am feeling better from Thursday little hike. So I have figured out what I am going to start doing for my beginning training. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will continue with my couch to 5k Training and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I will be Riding a stationary bike and Lifting weights. Here is the T,T,S program.

This comes from www.beginnertriathlete.com 's Couch to Program.
Tuesday.
Lift: Legs (include abductors and adductors)*, Back and Abdominals. 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike: 20 to 25 minutes indoors. Use an Upright Bike as opposed to a Recumbent Bike**. Work on keeping feet flexed (like scraping gum off the bottom of your shoes) and upper body relaxed. Keep your resistance light to moderate. Just trying to create some endurance in this first mode. 5 minute cool down!
Stretch: 10 to 15 minutes of FULL BODY stretching! Stretching reduces DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

Thursday.
Lift: Shoulders, Chest, Abdominals. 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike: 30 to 35 minutes indoors. Stick with Upright Bike (you burn more calories on an Upright Bike as the position forces you to work against gravity). Use a program and add hills in this routine. Time to start getting used to using those vital leg muscles. 5 minute cool down.
Stretch: 10 to 15 minutes of FULL BODY stretching.

Saturday.
Lift: Legs (include abductors and adductors)*, Back and Abdominals. 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for 2 exercises each body part.
Bike: 20 to 25 minutes indoors. Use an Upright Bike as opposed to a Recumbent Bike**. Work on keeping feet flexed (like scraping gum off the bottom of your shoes) and upper body relaxed. Keep your resistance light to moderate. Just trying to create some endurance in this first mode. 5 minute cool down!
Stretch: 10 to 15 minutes of FULL BODY stretching! Stretching reduces DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

I feel like some of this is not enough, but I am not trying to start out to hard and loose focus and want.

What do you think?

2010-06-18T22:41:00.001-06:00

Ironman 70.3 Boise
June 11, 2011
Boise, Idaho
http://www.ironmanboise.com
Registration Status:
Accepting Applications

This is next year, almost a full year away. I want to do it, but am a little scared and hesitant on whether or not to sign up for it. I really want to do it, but am unsure if I should wait 1 year, or two...what to do??

Ouch that hurt...

2010-06-18T09:21:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I went with a church youth group on a hike. It was 7 miles of a slight decline. My calves and shins hurt bad enough that I did not run this morning. I have read that one of the common mistakes you can make is to run when your hurting. I guess I will just have to take my losses and run either tomorrow or wait until Monday. I hate it though. I hate excuses. Excuse are the nails used to build a house of failure, and I am not going to fail. No way.

There's always tomorrow!

And thus it begins....

2010-06-16T11:08:00.003-06:00

Hi, I'm Matt. I am a 29 year old mechanical engineer in Idaho. I am currently 240 lbs and am considerably strong. I have spent the last few months and years trying to get big and strong, but what for??? I really don't know what for...

My weight is going to hamper my goals and my running, at least until I can loose a lot of it. I am planning on running 3 times weekly for now, and then spending about 2-3 days (off days) to cross train, mainly riding my bike, the bike at the gym, lifting weights, or elliptical, just mix it up daily.

Right know I am working on a couch to 5k training plan and am on workout 2 of week one. I am using Running Mates' 5k 101. It is a good 8 week plan that I will use to get to my 5k goal, then I will head to a 10k goal, then half marathon, then marathon, then Iron Man 70.3, then Iron man. It is a 3 year plan and I hope to journal it here on this blog.

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win." -Roger Bannister-