We are the Champions, my friend...

A few weeks ago I saw a flyer up at work for an Army Adventure Race host by UCF ROTC.  The race was made up of teams of 4 and covered 5.5 miles with 8 stations throughout the course.  I immediately knew I wanted in, but I wanted to put a team together that would not just do good, but beat the Army at their own race.  I asked around, and Capt Cueball decided he wasn't in shape enough; he was only going to slow us down. But there was one Capt at work, call him BJ, who is a really fast runner... like 18min 3 mile fast.  He is into triathlons too, but he is like serious into it. He is on a triathlon team that trains together and stuff. Anyways, I asked him and he asked around his circle, and we eventually pulled 3 Marine Captains and 1 firefighter.  So we entered the event.  Team Marine was formed, and we all met each other just this morning.  

There were 3 categories to enter into: Pro, Open, and JROTC (high school kids). We entered into the Pro group and were put up against 6 other teams. These teams were made up from members of the local CrossFit gyms.  For those not familiar with crossfit it is the BEST exercise/fitness gym there is.  Check out crossfit.com if you don't know about it already. Anyways, a crossfit team is pretty serious.  There were a few teams of girls and stuff but each gym put together a superstar team.  I figured I wouldn't mind losing to a crossfit instructor team. I could still respect myself if I lost to them.  

Anyways, the race begins with a 5o yard dash to station number 1: sit ups... two members of the team do as many situps as they can in 1 min while the other 2 members hold their feet. After 1 min, switch.  I did about 59 situps (not crunches but full hands-behind-the-head situps) and everyone on the team was about the same.  After that you run a half-mile to the next station: carry station.  There were a few backpacks with weights and a few sand bags that the team had to carry 100 ft and back without dropping anything.  I carried 2 sandbags on my shoulders and when we finished the timer soldier said we were the fastest so far; a good sign.   Next we ran a half-mile to pushups.  Same scenario as with sit-ups but with pushups.  I did about 50 in 1 min.  Each member of Team Marine did a bit better but all within a bit of each other. Next a mile run to the pull-ups station.  Max # of pull-ups in 30 seconds. I did 17, the firefighter did 21 and the other 2 Captains did 16.  Next run to the downed pilot station...this was a stretcher carry station where 3 members of the team had to carry 1 member.  I got there first so I was the "downed pilot" and was forced to be carried by my team. I hated every second.  I hate being the one not doing something when the entire team is working hard. So I tried to call out any uneven ground as they ran.  Next was the tire flipping station.  1 Tractor tire + 4 people = flipping the tire end over end for 50 yards. Next, run to the next station: the mental challenge.  It was an interesting problem solving game with 4 tires.  We took a bit to figure it out but once we did we executed pretty quickly.  Now the entire time we have been running, the rest of the team was trying to keep a comfortable pace, not too fast, not too slow. I wanted to run faster, but they restrained me.  After the mental challenge there was only one last run to the final station, which was where the finish line was.  So we took off running hard.  All these guys are in the kind of shape I am, so we were really moving.  We got to the Hummv push station and pushed a hummv for 50 yards.  

When it was all over, BJ when home so he could ride a bike for 2 hours and the other 2 guys and I did a CrossFit workout.  After we cooled down we saw a CrossFit tent where they had a workout of the day posted.  2 rounds of: 500m on a row machine, 40 squats and 30 should press with 20 pound weights in each hand.  This race was hard enough to break most but we finished and we all kept on working out.  

When it came time for the awards ceremony we ended up winning the whole thing.  We got a trophy and medals.  I don't even know what the other prizes were we won, cause all I cared was that we beat the Army. 

Team Marine:

pictures should be posted on Jan 30th at: www.ucfrotc.com

It's good to have goals...

Well the goal for the weekend was to run once.  I was planning on doing it Friday morning but I figured I had all weekend.  When I went back to bed Friday, I realized that meant Saturday would be my day... so I woke up early and went running in the cold.  

Sweat pants...$30

Long sleeve shirt...$20

Sweatshirt...$30

Beanie...$10

Having sympathy for people in 18 degree weather...priceless.

Actually I have no sympathy for my sister in 18 degree weather...she made her choice to live in a place that gets to 18 degrees.  I am not a smart guy but I even figured out that cold weather sucks.

Anyways, had a great time in Savannah.  Pictures to follow.  

Back to real life again, and back to work... Tomorrow morning I swim and have physical therapy.

Top Five things I did in GA:

1. Ate at Paula Deen's Resturant

2. Saw Paula Deen, her 2 sons, husband and Kathy Griffin

3. Played with Superdog in the GA rain

4. Hung out with good friends for 5 days

5. Ate two pounds of seafood for dinner Sunday night

Honorable mention:

Hot tub at beach house

Moon River Bar and Grill Beer Sampler

Working out, or it is called working in…

Yesterday -530 alarm goes off again.  But baby its cold outside.  Way too cold outside… so I stay in a workout. Push-ups, thera-band exercises.  Not too difficult but still a good start to a cold morning.  
Boring meetings all day at work, but I ran the Uncle Julio UCF death run…or “adventure run” if I am trying not to scare the kids.  I ran this run last week with “Uncle Julio”. That isn’t what we call him since he out ranks me but for the blog world the name will work.  Anyways, Uncle Julio took me on a UCF trail run, but every so often he would stop and do push ups, sit ups and even a dirt hill climb. The hill is say 30 ft tall and pretty steep soft footed dirt.  When we get to the dirt hill we ran up it 3 times.  Well I ran up it 3 times, he went up 3 times.  Bygones, point being it is a fun little 3 mile run.  So I ran it yesterday but without Uncle Julio and without the adventure part. It was just a trail run. 3 miles-ish in 24 mins.  Heart monitor again said my heart rate was at 96% and that I should have probably died, but I didn’t…VICTORY!!!

Alarm goes off today and I decided to sleep in so I would be more fun. The wifey and I (super dog) and Capt Cueball's family are driving up to Savannah, GA for the MLK break.  Should be fun.  I am planning on still working out, but we will see. It is supposed to be cold.  Good luck.  But I did go to physical therapy today.  More back stretches by Tom. I am counting that as a workout today.  

Back by popular demand... today's top 5...

Top 5 bands you never heard of but should.

1.      Jack's Mannequin

2.      Hey Monday

3.      The Cab

4.      Mayday Parade

5.  The Academy Is...

Early is a relative term...

So I didn't make the 0530 wake up call of my alarm clock.  But I did get up and go to the gym before work.  Granted the gym was for physical therapy and I went into work late, but still a before work workout is still a before work workout.

After therapy, which consists of lots of stretches and low weights lifts that Tom (the physical trainer) thinks up. Nothing too exciting. Moving right along...

Time to workout for real.  Off to the gym and I ride a stationary bike. Not those sissy, girly ones where you might as well be lying down taking a nap, but a real stationary bike with no computers or gadgets to make me feel more comfortable.  I ride the bike for 30mins and then lift.  40mins of lifting and I call it a day.  Not very exciting but it is what it is.

That is about all for today...

I will get back to the top 5 lists next time.

ARSM

So early...

 

Alarm clock goes off at 0530...I get out of bed at 0535...Run to the Baldwin Park Pool by 0545.  Oh yeah, way too freakin early for this.

 On the positive side though, the pool was like 80 degrees.  Cold outside, but soo warm inside...like my bed.  Ahh my bed.  I have such fond memories of it.

 Ok, early morning, warm pool got it. I need to stop complaining.  So as I get to the pool there are already two chicks in the pool.  Not swimming, but talking.  There are only three lanes (the other lanes were for "open swim" and I could have used them) and they are using two of them to talk.  So I get in start swimming and they keep on talking. Eventually they start to swim, and when they pass me I realize I should stop complaining about the girls that swim faster than I do.  But, they only swim a few laps and eventually leave.  I come up out of the water as I finish a lap and start singing "all by myself".  

It is now 0615 and I have finished swimming all I intend to swim, but I continue to linger in the water because it is cold outside and I have no towel and still have to run home.  So after a few more warming mins, I finally man up and get out.  I run to my shirt, socks and shoes and throw them on and take off running back home.  Ahh home. 

Go to work, bla, bla, bla... go to the gym

I run with my new heart rate monitor for the first time.  I took a heart rate fitness test last night.  It is supposed to get your resting heart rate and compare that to the mass majority of the people and give you a score.  The first time I did the test I wasn't that relaxed so my score wasn't good and I received a "moderate" fitness rating.  I'm no moderate people (politically yes, physically no) so I tried it again.  But this time I was asleep and the wifey pushed the buttons to start the test.  Score: a bit higher but still moderate.  I figure this stupid machine is broken.  Oh well.  Time to go for my run... 3.5 miles in 25 min.  But some how my "moderate" body can run a sustained pace at 107% of my max heart rate.  That's right... 107%.  "They" say a person's heart rate is 220-thier age.  Normal training should be approx 80% of max heart rate.  Ok, sure thing.  My running heart rate is 107% of my max or 206 bpm.  My avg rate for the run was 96% max or 186 bpm... Moderate? No way.

Time to lift and add some pain to my body in the form of free weights.  What's my heart rate while simply lifting weights...90% of max.  

Now at first this all sounded very super of a man but when I googled "high heart rate" I learned that apparently a high heart rate is bad.  But I figure if my heart is strong enough to beat that hard and not kill me, then that should be good.  I mean every Dr visit I have gone to, I have told my blood pressure was good, but is a high heart rate bad?? I don't know.  

The way I see it, al 206 bpm that is like a 14 year old kid's heart pounding at 100%.  But I am twice that kid's age and my heart can still out pump his.  How can that be bad? 

In the begining

So tomorrow start my real training. Everything I have done up till now has just be conditioning... I knew I wouldn't really workout during Christmas (or the month of Dec for that matter) due to traveling and spending time with family.  So last week was designed just to remind my body how it felt to workout again.  Nothing too hard, but nothing too easy either.  Now that I have one week or a reminder under me it is time to up my game.  The new plan: 6 days a week, two times a day.  That means the dreaded and always hated...the morning workout.  So now each morning I will run, swim or bike and then everyday I will lift or run.  I am not exactly sure the training break down, but I am reading a couple of books on how to train.  

I will keep you all posted on my progress and how much I will continue to hate morning workouts. 

- ARSM

The Money Pit...

Well not really. Not so much a money pit, but homeownership is such so fun.

Alright, I realize this post has nothing to do with my workout program (which I will discuss tomorrow) but sometimes life is just too humorous. This past week my mom was here in town from SoCal to celebrate New Years. Well after all the sweat equity Marmie put into Sister #1 and Sister #2’s houses she felt the need to help paint, build or buy something for our house. So while she was here she purchased wood and supplies to build a work bench and storage cabinets in the garage. While I was finishing the storage cabinets I also decided to finish off another project that has been neglected for sometime. When I put the attic ladder up, I took down the molding the surrounded the opening. I figured I could put it back up afterward. Now that “afterwards” has arrived I tried to re-nail the molding back up. Well the nails were not really meant to be used twice. My next move was to cut the penny nails off and glue the molding to the ceiling. Fast forward a bit in this long drawn out story, and there I am with caulking gun in hand applying thick amounts of “liquid nails” to the molding and trying to get it to stick. Attempt after attempt I could not get the molding to stay attached to the ceiling. One such effort left molding falling on my head…sticky side down. As I type, I am picking glue out of my hair like a monkey picking fleas. Except glue probably taste better than fleas. But after a good shower I think most of the glue is out but thanks to gravity, now pieces of glue are now stuck in my leg hair. I finally got the molding to stay on the ceiling, and it really looked great except due to the attic ladder the molding doesn’t exactly like it did. So when the molding was finally up there, it looked great except for two big gaps where the molding pieces didn’t fit. End result: the molding is covered in 8oz of liquid nails caulking glue and is sitting in the trashcan awaiting collection in the morning. I figured if I really want molding I would measure the new size and buy new molding. As for now, I still have glue in my hair and my white garage ceiling has yellow liquid nails glue all over the attic opening.

Ok, I realize this little tale of home ownership was a lot cleverer in my head than it turned out on paper. But that is more your loss than mine.

I will return with 2009, the year of the Super Man tomorrow.
Until then, peace out.