And here we go

Before you begin reading, know that this post is like many (most) of my posts–rambling with really no deep thought or takeaway.

With that said…

Well, two training runs down. A sh#t ton more to go. This is going to be one, long training season. And damn it, I couldn’t be more excited! Really.

Sarah and I rocked out a nice mile run this evening in just under an hour and a half, and I realized that it will definitely be these medium-long runs that prove to be my biggest challenge. More than anything, I’ve typically lacked the motivation. I’m generally a 3-4 days per week and 30 miles/week + speed work type of runner. But I decided to go hardcore for the Chicago Marathon and try a more aggressive plan that builds up to as much as 55 miles/week. So as we look to eat out less and spend less money in general, I think this plan is going to work. I just need to buckle down, focus and make it through the Wednesday/Thursday runs of 9+ miles, and I’ll be fine. It’ll be a day-to-day challenge, but I’m ready for it.

So, my schedule this week includes 32 miles total and looks like this:

• Monday – 7 mi w/ 10×100 strides
• Wednesday – 9 mi
• Thursday – Lifting
• Friday – Lifting (morning) and 4 mi (evening)
• Saturday – 12 mi

And, while the following has no relevance to running, these MVP commercials are my favorites right now, so I wanted to make sure everyone had a good laugh.

Get low

For the first time in nearly 10 years, I did squats yesterday. And as Mouse noted, I didn’t use the smith machine … nope … I did barbell squats. Now, I have mixed feelings towards these barbell squats. On one hand, I’m completely thrilled that I was able to do each and every set, even increasing my weight on the final set of eight. I even surprised Sarah with my form and went below horizontal, true to form. With that said, I’m sore as hell today. Boooooo! I know; I know. Soreness is a good thing, and I’m only complaining; but hey, it’s what I do. It really wasn’t that bad … and really, Sarah was right. It provided me with a MUCH better workout overall.

The only thing worse than the squats (in terms of exercising) this weekend was the wind. And just describing it as “the wind” is almost too nice of a way to describe it. Or at least my feelings towards it. Rather, it should be known as “the f#cking freezing wind,” because for five miles, I was in constantly fear that my manhood was freezing off. It was ridiculous. With each step, it felt as if someone was actively pushing us in the opposite direction WHILE simultaneously pouring cold water down the front of my pants. And ice cubes. And the water and the ice cubes froze together to make everything below my waist numb. Yeah. Awesome run. F#cking wind.

Running aside … the weekend was great. We celebrated Sarah’s birthday Friday evening at Gibson’s Steakhouse (who undoubtedly not only has the best steak in Chicago, but also serves the best martinis in Chicago … they’re like an alcohol-filled creamsicles), and then again Saturday among friends. We ran errands Sunday afternoon and cooked Sunday night. We pretty much did it all.

Productive. Relaxing. All around a grrreeeatttt weekend.

The workout this morning made it 4/5 … we pretty much rock

The gym stunk this morning, a lot. Actually, that’s unfair … the entire gym didn’t stink, but rather the entrance and area with the majority of the cardio machines. And I don’t mean that it stunk as in “oh, this sucks” or “damn, this is hard.” No. The gym stunk as in “does someone need to change themselves?” and “who keeps farting?” It was awful. For thirty long minutes, Mouse and I worked out on the elliptical machines, and personally, I thought about quitting more than once. It was suffocating. You couldn’t breathe.

Blah.

Now that that’s out, I’d like to publicly state that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting up early in the mornings to workout before work this week. When Sarah suggested the idea, I pretty much had convinced myself that I was going to hate it. But I’ve discovered it’s really not all that bad. The gym is nowhere near as crowded, and before eight o’clock in the morning rolls around, I’ve already completed my workout for the day–which means I don’t have to worry about hurrying home after work to do just that.

Having a dedicated workout partner like Sarah really, really helps too and is probably the most important factor. If I had it my way, I’d be lazy and go to the gym late at night. She provides perspective and great motivation for me to get my lazy butt out of bed to hit the weights and treadmill before work. She asked me if I’d keep going to the gym in the morning when she goes on work-related trips, and in all honesty, I told her no. We’ll see what happens, but getting up by yourself to workout by yourself … well, it isn’t quite the same.

Tomorrow is a six mile “Arctic” run, my first in temperatures below zero. Luckily, thanks to a great Christmas gift, I’ve got the gear to make it a somewhat decent experience.

Stay warm everyone!

Enough of the downward dogs….

Before I get into a long post regarding waking up at 5 am to go workout, let me take time to mention the awesome Christmas gift Mouse’s brother got me–a KU branding iron. I’m not nearly stupid enough to attempt to use this on a living being, but my food … my food is a completely different story. Quesadillas, steak, chicken, etc. The possibilites are endless. And talk about timing! The KU mens’ basketball team is off to their best start in more than a decade, and before you know it, March Madness will be here. I’ll be branding food left and right. Okay … not that much … but it will be fun to have the option.

In other exciting news, Mouse and I hit the gym bright and early this morning, despite the cold walk up. It’s been well-documented that I’ve never been a fan of getting up early to go workout, but it definitely makes it much easier when you have to be accountable to someone. We did a quick three miles on the treadmill followed by light weight work, and tonight, will cap it off with some easy yoga. We did the power yoga last night, and I’m not ashamed to say this, but it kicked my ass. A lot. Hopefully, doing it more than once every two to three months will greatly improve my flexibilty and strength. We’ll see.