I need to take a peep.

Oh emm gee.  I ate so much candy with the family this morning that the rest of day was spent wishing the Easter Bunny also delivered insulin.

Coming down from my sugar high, I began to search for my next fix.  I found it in Caramelpalooza 2013.  And I want to be a judge.  That way I can get loaded up on all the best product for free.

There is a poetry contest and the winner gets to be a judge of the confectionery submissions from the greater Phoenix area.  I didn't know the Valley of the Sun was also a hotbed for cooked sugar, but whatever.  My entry, a haiku:


orbs from crystals rise
tempered with Poseidon's ore
caramel magic

Peep floating in a toilet AND haiku?  Sugar madness.

FITspiration

Portable Protein

You're busy.  So is everyone else, myself included.  You prioritize your day so that sometime between working, taking care of the children, eating, cleaning the house, doing laundry, playing with the children, bathing the children, and bathing yourself, you can actually make time to workout.

And how to get your much needed protein after strength training or a long run?  You could stuff some mutton in your pockets to snack on later.  Although fairly mobile when alive, once cooked, mutton doesn't travel well.

You could opt for a protein bar, but they are usually quite expensive, most of them have a chalky/filmy/fake taste, and none of them pack nearly as much protein as my favorite post-workout recovery meal: whey protein powder.

Whey protein, and most other similar powdered protein supplements, are easy to store and mix.  The key to protein portability is a Blender Bottle.  The Blender Bottle contains a springy stainless steel wire ball that helps to mix the powder.  Scoop in powder, add water, snap the secure lid on, and shake.

Tip: I add a couple of tablespoons of powdered milk to help with creaminess.

Scoop your protein in the bottle the night before and toss into your bag or purse.  The bottle lid and spout cover are very secure and I've never had a problem with leaks or spillage.  When you're ready to drink it, just add some water and shake.

And it tastes way better than mutton.  

 

The Right Side

The Supreme Court is wrapping up hearing arguments on California's Prop 8.  There are all sorts of possibilities for the outcome from the justices, some more decisive than others. 

But be clear: if you do not support the right for all people to marry, you are going to be on the wrong side of history.  Maybe not this week or this decade, but someday, in my lifetime, all Americans will enjoy full equality.  I'll be content knowing that I was on the right side, back when there were "sides" to this issue.

Hey, this is supposed to be a blog about fitness and working out.  What does marriage have to do with it?

Thanks for asking.  One of the most popular fitness DVD programs in the country is INSANITY®.  Creator of said program and insane (clinically, I would imagine, otherwise it would just be called DEMENTIA®) fitness freak Shaun T is gay and married.  So there.  A married gay man built a media empire.  Are you scared, Alabama?  

I happen to be straight, but if I were running the marketing strategy for marriage equality, I would be plastering his mug and hulking shoulders all over leaflets.  Am I right, ladies and/or gay men?

How to do a lift up

It's the middle of spring break for the kids, and thanks to warm weather and a pool heater, they are usually ASKING to go to bed by 6:30 pm.  If you're thinking I wish my kids did that! the trade off is they like to get up at 5:45 am.

Today was a lifting day, so the kids and I spent a little time in the backyard prison gym.  To call it a "gym" is really a stretch.  It's a squat rack with pullup bars, a flat bench, two bars, and some weight.  That's it.  The kids think it is some sort of crappy jungle gym.

They both like climbing on the rack and lifting weights because it's not a workout for them: it's play.  Audrey completed a bunch of "lift ups", her name for pullups.  Max did a few overhead presses with one of the squat safety bars. 

Max was way too excited about his birthday presents, so he bailed on the workout.  Audrey hung in there and did a bunch of dumbbell overhead presses.  We then did some ab work on the grass, she did some pushups, and we finished up with some dips and a few more lift ups.  And she likes it.  Because we are outside together doing something together. 

My kids aren't crazed cult fanatics of physical fitness.  I don't ever want them to be.  I want them to lead an active, healthy lifestyle where their physical condition enables them, not hinders them.  Whatever activity you model and excel at, running, swimming, watching television, your children will be predisposed to excel at also. 

According to your children, you are already the world's greatest runner, swimmer, cyclist, or weightlifter.  Include them in your activity and you'll develop a lifelong training partner.  How?

1.  Get a jogging stroller.  Insert kid (or two).  Push while running.  Become exhausted more quickly than running without stroller.  If kid (or two) is too large for stroller (someday all kids will be), go on your regular run.  At the end of your run, link up with kid at home and go out again.  Do a comfortable distance at kid pace.  They'll think they just ran a marathon and you'll get a nice cooldown.

2.  Swim with your kids.  At your gym, your local Y, a park, your backyard, a swimmin' hole, or your local swim school.  I'm lucky to have been exposed to water at an early age.  My kids are now strong, confident swimmers who have skills for a lifetime of enjoyment and safety.

3.  Take a family bike ride.  It's easy.  For a child, riding around the block is like a journey into the heart of the jungle.  We've never been down this street before!  Do you know how to get home from here?  Can we stop for water?  Our next goals are basic maintenance and to turn some wrenches on our rigs. 

It's not magic.  It's called turning off your light-emitting device and doing something together.

May the Fourth Be With You

Four years go by fast.  Really fast.  My son is the big four today.  The little monkey man isn't so little anymore.  He is about the size and strength of a juvenile chimpanzee, with the occasional demeanor and smell to match.

We celebrated at his second favorite place on the planet, Peter Piper Pizza. First place goes to Disneyland, but a trip to Disney and back in one day would have required a ship faster than Captain EO's.  Coincidentally, Peter Piper is the same pizza joint where I celebrated many a little league win while attempting the high score on Road Blasters.

Within five minutes of arrival, my son hit the jackpot on a ball game called Raptor Captor.  1000 big ones.  And by big ones I mean paper tickets that can be redeemed for a variety of Chinese manufactured lead-based choking hazards.  With those skills, the boy has a bright future as a professional slot player.

My little man loves presents, and lucky for us, is very easy to please.  From one of his aunties, he got a potato sack race kit.  You know what a sack race is.  Put both feet in a bag.  Begin race.  Jump as fast and as far as possible.  End race.  Repeat.

In case it has been more than a few years (in my case about 30 years) since you last competed in a sack race, here's a warning.  It is really f-ing hard.  Chances are that since you were a child, you have gained some weight, lost some flexibility, and developed nagging hip/leg/knee pain.  This handicap (and I mean that in the sports-betting sense, not the reserved-parking sense) will drastically impact your performance in the sack.

My son and daughter are in peak sack-race condition and barreled around the kitchen in their sacks, while the wife and I could barely muster a few lame jumps without falling over and shrieking with fear.

If you would like to see your children absolutely dominate you on the field, get them some potato sacks.  They'll have to let YOU win.  And don't for a minute think this is an acceptable substitute.

Sack race madness, presents galore, pizza, Star Wars cake, and a surprise visit from our Elf on the Shelf?  Yeah, turning four is pretty awesome.  I love you, dude.

Show me your flair!

Today I had a bad case of the Mondays.  Oddly, I'm on vacation this week with the kids, so I can't say that it is work induced.

Usually my case of the Mondays involves running and lifting, both in an attempt to burn off the extra doughnut/beer/ice cream that was consumed over the weekend.  Call it a workout fueled by regret.

Workout accomplished.  That's the best thing I can say about it.

The Best Laid Plans

Today I said goodbye to an old friend.  After this morning's recovery run, I officially retired my second running training plan.  Each and every day since September 17, 2012 I have started the day with a predetermined running plan and mileage.  This works for me because I am a creature of habit and have more than a little OCD.  This doesn't work for my wife because she is anything but a structured planner.

Tomorrow I start something new.  Not a plan, just some free form running.  Not that kind of free form running.  Just running to log some miles, to get some alone time, to hit the dusty trail.  Or not.  Because adopting a plan and then diligently executing to the plan (which I did, faithfully) can lead to a slavish existence.

Many days when it was cold or dark or windy, I ran.  Not because I wanted to.  But because I had to.  Because the plan told me I needed to.  Because if I didn't, the plan would mock me, berate me, and make me pay.  But if I did everything the plan commanded, if I sacrificed for the plan, in the end the plan would reward me. 

I held up my end of the bargain.  I only shorted my marathon and 20k training plans by exactly 4 miles out of 643, due to an unavoidable work conflict.  In the end the plans rewarded me with better performances than I previously thought possible.

But now the only plan, at least until the fall, is no plan.  I have a couple of short and long term goals after that, but they require a deal to be inked with A New Plan.  And my wife has final veto authority.

What's your plan? 

South Mountain 20k Race Report

Today I ran the South Mountain Classic 20k, presented by Arizona Road Racers.  I ran a couple 5k's on this same course over 15 years ago, when I was a slower and fatter man.  I tried to Google my archived results, but pride prevents me from searching too extensively.  

Specifics for today's event:
Start: 7:30 am, Saturday, March 23, 2013
Location: South Mountain city park, 10409 South Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85042
Price: $38.61 on active.com (includes taxes and active.com fees)    
Number of participants: 131 in 20k, 152 in 5k 
Environmentals: Clear and sunny, 50 degrees F at start, wind WNW at 5-10 mph
Course: USATF certified 
Event coordinator: Arizona Road Racers (ARR)

Directions to event were accurate and easy.  A Yahoo! maps link with the specific parking location  was provided on ARR's website and in a final race instruction email sent out the night before the race.

Parking was more than adequate.  Vehicle access to South Mountain park was restricted to race participants only.  All other vehicles were turned around at the guard gate and directed to park along the access roads.

Restrooms and porta-potties were plentiful.  No lines for either.

Registration was quick and easy.  100% cotton t-shirts were included with advance registration. 

Race timing was accomplished with a bib chip only.

I arrived about 50 minutes prior to the start and had plenty of time to pickup my bib and shirt, drink some Gatorade, and take care of my pre-race gastrointestinal issues.  Pre-race dinner was delicious homemade mac and cheese, which could have contributed my excessive porta-potty utilization.

There was plenty of room for the lineup and start (pictured).  The 20k started at precisely the published start time (7:30 am), as do all ARR events.

The field immediately thinned and there was no need for position jockeying or running off course. 

Although I had run this course before, I had apparently forgotten about the hills.  The out-and-back course winds through the foothills of South Mountain.  There is a climb from the start to about the 2.5 mile mark.  There is an obvious crest at this point with a gentle grade down to nearly the turnaround point.  Just short of the turnaround there is a significant climb for about 400 meters.

On the return leg, the climb right out of the start was now a welcome downhill for the last 2 miles to the finish.  Due to the elevation, the finish line area was visible from almost 2 miles out. 

I ran in shorts and a technical t-shirt and was glad I did.  There were a few runners in long sleeves, but I'm guessing they were overdressed.  A tailwind on the return leg made the increasing temperature and bright sun seem even warmer.

Water and Gatorade were provided at miles 1, 3.5, 6, 8.5, and 11.  At the finish there was more than enough water, Gatorade, bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, chips, Oreos, and animal crackers. 

I finished third in my age group with a time of 1:30:44.  ARR's website states that awards were given out for the top three finishers in each age group but I couldn't wait around.  I was hoping to finish under 1:27, but I'll blame that on my recent illness and inadequate preparation for the course hills.

Exiting the parking area was easy even though the race was still in progress when I left.  Half of the road was opened for vehicles to exit while runners were still finishing on the other half.

Overall, another excellent local race presented by the good people at ARR.

Because "groin" is just a fancy euphemism

There are a few phrases in life that only need to be said once.  No repeating, no need for explanation, no amplifying information required.

"Fire!"  Universal.  Prohibited to be shouted in a crowded movie (or dinner) theater.  Understood by virtually all of the English speaking world.

"Put your hands up."  No one is confused by this command.  Even if the directing law enforcement officer was just trying to get you to raise the roof to accompany a phat house beat, you'd still comply.  And fast.  Because you'd probably be staring down the barrel of his gun.

"Do not punch me in the penis again."  This phrase, although less common in daily vernacular, was growled today by me toward my offending son.  The soon to be four-year old meant no harm (or did he?); he just wanted me to hurry up so we could go ride scooters outside.

Here's the thing about commanding someone not to punch you in the penis: you shouldn't have to say "again".  Seems like that is implicit.  The only time I think you should have to say "again" would be after a second or (yikes) third penis punch.  At that point you could say "again" just to let the penis puncher know that, "Hey, maybe you could punch me in the penis another day, but right now I'm kind of done with that."

Because there is a time and a place for everything.  Except penis punching.  Really there's never a good time for that.  

FITspiration

Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of spring.  The day when light and darkness exist in perfect equality.  Balance.  Harmony.  Things we all could use a little more of.

The arrival of chocolate bunnies and tulips also signals the time to reinvigorate and renew things you might have otherwise neglected.  Like your smoke detector, your swimsuit, and your workout.

Definitely change the batteries in your smoke detector if you were too busy to do this on March 10th because you were setting all your clocks forward an hour.  Or if you live in Arizona, which like the Taliban, does not observe daylight savings time.

Swimming season (at least for the brave/foolish and those with a pool heater) begins here next week.  Make sure your body hair and your swimsuit are ready.

Your workout.  No better time than today to change up your workout routine.  Maybe you've been stuck in the post-New Year's icepack, waiting for it to warm up so you can break free of your daily "routine".  If it is routine, it shouldn't be. 

Bored with what you are doing now, but not ready to breakup with it?  Find some alternate exercises to substitute for what you have been doing.  Ready to try something completely different?  Then *ahem* "spring" into action and become an offroad unicyclist or free solo El Capitan.  Or just start by changing up your running plan, or start swimming, or try out some CrossFit-type work.

I'm getting back on my bike, because it IS about the bike.  I'm going to dial back my running to about 20 miles a week and add some trail running.  And I'm going to try some SEALFit workouts.  Because those guys are (were) the real deal. 

Happy vernal equinox!  What are you going to do?

The long climb

Avid trail runners are a different breed than your typical road runner.  For the trail runner the run is about the journey, the sensory experience, the spontaneity of the adventure.  The pavement pounder enjoys the comfort of the routine, the objectivity of the measured mile, the safety of the improved path.

Life may be a marathon, but it's definitely a trail run.  Twisty, unpredictable, and dangerous.  Soul-crushing climbs yielding to vistas that can refresh burning lungs and wobbly legs.

On the trail my kids love leading, getting out ahead farther, until parental fear overtakes the sense of freedom, and I yell to them to stop and wait.  Someday they won't stop.  On that day, their confidence and bravery will overtake their sense of fear and they will be gone, out of sight.  Beyond protection.  Maybe I'll meet them at the top.  Maybe I'll catch up to them.  But either way, they will need to negotiate the path by themselves.

They will have trained for that day and they'll think themselves ready for this trail marathon.  But there's no map, no route.  The aid stations are few and the crowd support is minimal.  I want to give them the strength and confidence to find a way, or make one.  To lead.  To succeed.  To earn the vista.  If they fall or quit, it will be their mistake, their failure.  But it will be mine too.

Hug 'em if you got 'em.

Sick of it

This past week has definitely been one for the record books.  All kinds of craziness has left me with a decidedly unsettled feeling.  And to top off my mental malaise, I have a cold.

I managed to make it through fall and winter with zero illnesses, only to succumb to a cold right as the temperature outside hits 90 degrees.  I'm wandering around in shorts with pockets bulging with tissues.  Other parents must be thinking, "Oh, we're still doing that?  Where have you been, guy?  A cold is sooooo two months ago."

The only thing left to do now is minimize my viral handicap and attempt to drive on with a daily workout.  How can you decide if you should go running or workout when you are sick?  The recommended litmus test is the location of your symptoms.

Above the neck?  Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever (low grade), want to rest?  Prognosis: good, go exercise.  Do the best you can at your normally scheduled or easier workout.  

Below the neck?  Gurgling chest, productive cough, wheezing, fever above 99 degrees, vomiting(!), diarrhea(!!)?
Prognosis: Yikes.  Go back to bed and call in sick.  Your body and co-workers will thank you for taking a couple days off.

Please note that I am not a doctor, but I went to college with a guy who is.  

Running from it

Today was Sunday so I went to church in the wild.  My outdoor worship was a 15 mile run, and yes, one of the hymns on my ipod was "No Church in the Wild", by Kanye and Jay-Z.

There are plenty of similarities between religion and exercise, but I'll save the trite analogies for another post with an appropriately comedically offensive title.

On my run it was hot, not devilishly hot, but definitely warm.  And I was tired.  And hurting.  So I recalled the one pseudo-religious phrase that seems to take my mind off the misery of the moment. 

"Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional."  --Buddhist aphorism

I wish I could say that I was an astute student of Buddha and was able to apply his teachings to my work.  I can't.  I first read this quotation in Haruki Murakami's book, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". 

This quotation works for me because it doesn't promise that pain can be delayed or avoided.  It can't.  What it offers is the idea that YOU can control YOUR response to the discomfort that is sure to arrive.  Will you slow, falter, or quit?  Or will you accept the pain, make peace with it, and renew your commitment to your goals and success?

Today I chose the latter.  I felt good after church.

 

Prime Directives

In writing this blog my objective is not to provide an endless series of vegan/Paleo/raw recipes and links to bodybuilding/Crossfit/high-intensity routines of the minute/day/month.  My objective is to provide useful fitness information to normal people, like dads and moms that want to squeeze some exercise into their busy lives.  This is the theme of, the focus of, the mandate for FITurday.  This is the prime directive.

The idea of a prime directive isn't mine.  RoboCop had three prime directives and a fourth [classified] directive.  His entire existence as law enforcement cyborg was guided by these three directives.  My life would be pretty straightforward if I could list only three principles by which it was structured.  But here are what I think could qualify as my prime directives.

1.  Be a compassionate, nuturing, loving dad, every day.
2.  Be a loving, reliable, and loyal husband and partner to my wife.
3.  Inspire, motivate, and teach my children to realize their dreams throughout their lives.

I don't think those would have fit neatly onto RoboCop's heads-up display, but they are about as succint as I could get them.  Ironically on a fitness blog post about prime directives, fitness isn't listed as one of my personal prime directives.  Why?

Because if fitness were prioritized that highly, it could prevent me from accomplishing my other directives.  I don't need to work out 20 hours a week, on top of working 40 hours a week.  Neither do you.  If you did, you be reading a different blog.

But fitness and a healthy, active lifestyle are implied in each of my directives.  Because without them, I wouldn't be able to execute on any of my directives.

If you were wondering, RoboCop's classified fourth directive was subversive programming, placed there to protect his crooked manufacturer: any attempt to arrest a senior Omni Consumer Products employee results in shutdown.  His fourth directive could prevent him from accomplishing his first three directives. 

My fourth [classified] directive: Eat maple bacon doughnuts.

Subversive indeed.

What are your prime directives?

Feeling hot, hot, hot

It is the middle of March and already in Phoenix it has been 90 degrees.  Sweet Jeebus, it is finally here!  The heat!  I love the heat.  I would much rather run or bike in 110 degree weather than do the same in 30 degree weather.  So I live in the right place.

But running or cycling at 90+ degrees is not something that can be undertaken successfully without some preloading at high temperatures.  A 2003 guide from the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine at Natick, MA outlines buildup requirements to train or compete effectively after transitioning to a new environment.

From the guide, which is tailored toward students of special operations training:
"The most important biological adaptation from heat acclimatization is an earlier and greater sweating response, and for this response to improve it needs to be invoked."  Indeed.  If you want to sweat efficiently and more (which you do), you will want to start getting a sweat on now by exposure to a higher temperature environment.

How can you do this?  Don't start by wrapping yourself in plastic garbage bags and running at 4 pm in July.  Start by gradually increasing your general exposure to sun and temperature, then gradually increasing your workout intensity under similar environmental conditions.  Expect a week to two weeks for acclimatization, based on your own fitness and tolerance levels.  The tilt of the earth's axis makes seasonal acclimatization a natural occurrence, but if you expect to workout in extreme temperatures, you may want to begin your transition sooner.

As an added benefit, training at high temperatures may increase your performance at cool (50-60 degrees) temperatures.  A 2010 study conducted at the University of Oregon and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology compared the performance of cyclists who trained at 104 degrees and cyclists who trained at 55 degrees.  Both groups then conducted a performance test at 55 degrees.  The hot-temperature trained group performed 4-8 percent better than the cool-temperature group.  Why?

The body adapts to the stresses placed upon it.  The cardiovascular and circulatory systems of the hot-temperature trained group were adapted to the extreme environment and could perform more efficiently when tested under optimally cool conditions.  I read somewhere that once adapted to high temperatures, your body does not have to expend as much energy to cool itself and therefore has more energy available for the task at hand: speed, power, endurance.

Turn off your air conditioning and get at it.

Book Review

I recently read endured Jacques Steinberg's exercise anthology, "You Are an Ironman: How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon."  In the spirit of full disclosure, I DNF'd at about the 75 percent mark.  In Ironman triathlon terms that means I quit about 45 minutes into the run. 

Why couldn't I go the distance?  Were my training reads not long enough?  Should I have been reading both in the morning and at night?  Maybe my pre-read nutrition plan was inadequate? 

After a careful analysis of why I couldn't get it done, I came to the following conclusion: much like an actual Ironman (which I have not yet attempted), this book (which I have attempted) was incredibly painful.  And again, in the spirit of full disclosure, Mr. Steinberg should not call his work a book.  He should call it a lazy and disjointed collection of notes and blog posts about an Ironman that people emailed to him.

I wish I could provide more insight into the lives of the six regular people whom he profiled.  I can only remember the name of one of them because her blog had a catchy title.

I found myself mindlessly muddling through page after page of out of context quotes from the participants.  There was little actual insight into their training regimen beyond insipid accounts of their swimming, cycling, and running.  With zero development of conflict between the athletes and their other life commitments or conflict between the athletes and the race itself, I found myself thinking that the book about a triathlon was more like a treadmill workout: not going anywhere.

If you ever finish either an Ironman or this book, please let me know how it feels.

What I learned at the gym today

In an effort to maximize workouts and minimize time impact on la familia, I lifted weights today during lunch at my work.  Everyone benefits, and my employer remains happy and satisfied.

For the first five minutes of my workout, I was the only person in our gym. I was pleasantly immersed in both my routine and the soothing sounds of Pandora's alternative hits station playing through my iPhone speaker.  I wasn't wearing headphones because I wasn't bothering anyone.

Second guy enters gym and promptly turns on the lone television.  To Fox News.  Which was covering the election of the new pope.  I can't think of a situation when I would actually choose to watch the big papal makeover and reveal.  And I'm Catholic.  I'm also highly non-confrontational, so I turned off my music and listened to the tv.

Second guy proceeds to get onto treadmill and walk.  For an hour.  I'm not criticizing anyone's workout, but at precisely that moment in Phoenix, the weather outside was 82 degrees and sunny with a light breeze.  Could it be any more perfect for a lunchtime walk outdoors?  Yet second guy selects treadmill and televised popemania.

So what did I learn?  I learned there is a guy in Italy that is now a more important guy.  I also learned that sometimes sticking with a workout routine means doing what works for you.  And then doing it again.  And again.  Until it is a daily habit.  So guy at the gym, if you would rather watch the inauguration of the new mayor of heaven while you toil in treadmill limbo, I salute you.  At least you are doing it.

To Did List

I like "to do" lists. I don't have a problem writing down what I need to do, accomplish, write, make, or find. I have a problem DOING. So when I do DO something, why not make a record of the occasion?  I'll call it my "to did" list.

Here is my to did list for today's run workout:



445 am: wakeup
515 am: track workout at local high school
600 am: begin life after running

642 am: sunrise

Started with a half-mile warmup run to the track. Workout was 6x800m
repeats with a 400m jog between each. The pace was quick, but not too fast,
at around 3:25 to 3:30 for each 800m. Easy half-mile run home. Completed
bonus event of scaling chain link fence into and out of track area because
my normal entry gate was locked. Double bonus (for me,
not for my wife) was that the kids were already up when I got home so I
could hug and kiss them before I left for work. Done and done.

Seth Godin's transcendental "Poke the Box" was the inspiration for this
post. Haven't read it? Put it on your to did list.

Open House

So hey, we're new here.  We used to live over at mydadaisms.blogspot.com, but we moved here because the schools are better and there is a Chipotle nearby.  It has been over three years, but just over, since I last made an attempt at writing something other than my name.  Notable life events since then: added one kid, lost one cat, lived through Afghanistan tour, recharged physical prowess.  I want to share how I attempt to juggle working out and training each day with a life of two children, two felines, and (just) one amazing wife.  It's FITurday.