Caesar Dressing

Tastes good, takes about 5 minutes to make. As a rough guesstimate, you need 2 Tbsp dressing per serving.

• 6 Tbsp Olive Oil Mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 6 fillets Anchovies, mashed
• 1 Tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Estimated 60 calories per 2 Tbsp serving. The addition of Worcestershire Sauce turns it into something nice, adding some smoothness and depth of flavor.

Things to try: add a pinch of cayenne.

Original source recipe from menshealth.com

What (not) to wear: 24 degrees and clear

Inaugural "SHOW US YOUR CANS" 5k run for the Food Bank of Nebraska at Quarry Oaks Golf Course. Many thanks to Joe Sutter for putting on the event, it was great fun, and reminded me that running in the cold is OK.

Weather: 24 degrees, 7 mph wind

What I wore:
Saucony NMD pants
UnderArmour Metal Cold Gear compression top
Nike Element full-zip hoodie
Brooks Windproof Thermal Boxers
Thick cushion ankle height Thorlo socks
Nike Air Pegasus Shield running shoes
DueNorth Ice and Snow Everyday Traction Aid shoe spikes
Susan Komen pink knit beanie and gloves. Yes, pink.

How it felt: too warm. The UnderArmour top and the Brooks thermal boxers were just too much. The Saucony pants are awesome, even if they're a dog hair magnet, but there's no need for the Brooks thermal boxers too.

So, either Brooks thermal boxers and regular tights, or regular short tights or compression shorts, and the NMD pant. The UnderArmour top is way too much, a better choice would be a Nike Element half-zip under the Nike hoodie. An ear warmer would also be a better choice than a knit hat, again a beanie proved to be far too warm. I skipped the beanie after my warmup run, and was pretty sweaty already by the start. By the finish, I had my jacket unzipped and had sweat running down my face.

The spikes rocked on the snow-packed trails, and the Nike Shield shoes are awesome in the cold and wet. However, the low-cut socks failed when I had to go off trail to pass people and filled my socks with snow.

Core "300" routine

I created this for a friend of mine who asked the question: "I want to run a half-marathon, how do I get fit for running?". Obviously, the answer is "run", but there's more that's needed. When all I did was run, I hurt myself.

This routine is based upon lessons learned, and a lot of visits to the physical therapist.

12/16/2012 Workout

Too lazy tonight to go to PLC, so here's what we came up with:

Body weight squats 5x10
Pushups 2x20
Toe walk with 'heavy' strength band 2 minutes
Hip Bridges 2x10
Clams w band 4x15 (2ea)
Squats 5x10
Kettlebell overhead presses 35lb 2x15

All performed while watching the Women's CrossFit Championships on ESPN.

Arm Warmers

After struggling to be comfortable with long sleeve jerseys, I've become quite fond of arm warmers.

They allow me to choose between too hot, and too cold. Mostly I just spend the run either rolling them down, or pulling them up.

Seriously, for colder runs, they're quite nice. I have these Brooks arm warmers, and a pair from Mizuno.

what (not) to wear: 46 degrees

Target: 5 miles
Actual: 6.39 miles @ 11:16/mi

Weather: 46 degrees, 4 mph wind, 69% humidity

Felt like: Tired and a little weak

What I wore:

• Nike sublimated short-sleeve jersey over
• Reebok mock-neck thermal long sleeve jersey under
• Nike Dri-Fit Two-In-One 4" Running Shorts 
• Nike Running ball cap
• Nike Running gloves 
• Thorlo thick cushion running socks 
• Nike Air Pegasus+ 29 running shoes 

Too warm. It needs to be at least another 5 degrees cooler to wear a thermal top like that. After several minutes running, I took the gloves off and tucked them into my Spibelt.

what to wear, 60 deg. fall

Target: 8 miles
Actual: 8.2 miles @ 10:47/mi

Weather: 60 degrees, windy

Felt like: Awesome

What I wore:

• Nike Miler Short-sleeve jersey
• Nike Dri-Fit Two-In-One 4" Running Shorts
• UnderArmour ball cap
• Thorlo thick cushion running socks
• Nike Air Pegasus+ 29 running shoes

My clothes today were really f***ing bright. I looked like a clown. But, I didn't get hit by a car, even though some asshole did his level best.

Today I experimented with mid-run refueling. Clif Shot Bloks are totally eatable on the run without water. Clif Shot Gels need water, but were easy to consume with no issues.

I took 3 Bloks immediately before the run with about 4 oz. water, I took another Blok at mile 4, and took the Gel with about 4 oz. water at mile 5. The refueling worked wonders on my per mile avg. on the return leg, over a 1' per mile :-)

what to wear 45 degrees, calm

Target: 4.5 miles
Actual: 4.8 miles @ 10:33/mi

Weather: 45 degrees, calm, no wind, nighttime

Felt like: perfect, no shit. Only a little sweat.  It was a really good run.

What I wore:

• Brooks Equilibrium Long Sleeve top
• UnderArmour sleeveless singlet
• Mizuno 3/4 tights
• Nike Running cap
• Nike Running gloves
• Thorlo thick cushion running socks
• Nike Air Pegasus+ 29 running shoes

what to wear 51 degrees, 12 mph wind

Target: 7 miles
Actual: 7.34 miles @ 11:38/mi

Weather: 51 degrees, 12 mph wind SSW, 38% humidity.

Felt like: it was warm when I was out of the wind in the sun, it was cold when the wind hit me.

What I wore:

• Nike Sphere half-zip long sleeved running top
• Nike 7" 2 in 1 running shorts
• Thorlo thick cushion running socks
• Nike running cap
• Nike Air Pegasus 29 running shoes

I think another option today would have been a sleeveless core singlet (like an UnderArmour sleeveless) under a short sleeve top with lightweight gloves. There were times my hands felt cold.

9/10/2012 D - 82 days

The countdown begins, 82 days until Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. I'll be following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Half-marathon program, as well as the StrongLifts weight training program.

Today, physical therapy, and a mile on the treadmill during work. This evening's StrongLifts "A" workout:

• Squats 5x5 45 lbs
• Bench Press 5x5 80 lbs
• Decline Bench Press 5x5 (substitute for barbell rows) 60 lbs

Tomorrow is a 3 mile run.

Cycling Terms & Slang

Cycling Terms & Slang, courtesy of Cycling Skills blog.

9/6 Afternoon Bike

Today's Bike 23.57 miles.

So, things learned today:

• The suburbs between 70th and 84th suck to ride in, you're just asking to get lost in the rabbit's warren of bullshit side streets, like I did (zoom in on the map, you'll see).
• My "Jim's Sweat" drink (Lemon-Lime Gatorade + 1 tbsp Kosher salt) was a little too salty. So, we'll go with a teaspoon next time. Two water bottles (1 Sweat/1 water) worked out really well, I had a little left when I made it home, so it would be just enough for 2 hours. 
• I need to remind myself to drink, drink, drink. Drink at every traffic stop.
• My gearing switch is just low enough for the routes I'm riding. Any steeper climb, and I'm in trouble unless I gain fitness or lose weight before I hit it.

Tomorrow's another day...

9/6 morning workout

Narrow grip lat pull downs 100lbs 3x10
Wide grip lat pulldowns 100lbs 3x10
Squats 5x5 65lbs
Bookends 30 min elliptical again

I'm going to start to regularly include lat pull downs in my strength routine to improve my pull ups.

After a massage, and lunch, I'm hoping for a nice bike this evening to make for a double-up Thursday.

9/5 StrongLifts "A" Workout

Squats 5x5 55lbs
Bench press 5x5 100lbs
Barbell rows 5x5 70lbs

100 pushups, these are killing me.

I bookended the whole workout with 15 min sessions on the elliptical.

I'm going to quit doing barbell rows. They're a controversial exercise believed to be of minimal value for the lower back risk they present. I haven't figured out what I'll replace them with yet, perhaps incline bench?

9/4 Not-A-Workout

I didn't really workout today, but I managed to ride the bike 6 miles back and forth to the bike shop, and walk 6 miles back and forth to the bike shop. It was time for post-break-in maintenance, and I wanted to change the gearing. Now it sports taller, more closely spaced gears. I replaced a 36T chainring with a 42T ring, and a 11-32 cog set with a 11-26 cog set. Blah, blah, blah.

It was a hot f***ing day, too.

9/3 Workout (Bike)

Easy ride, kept it on the small ring again. Avg pace 14.1 mi/h. 

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/132343903

9/2 StrongLifts B Workout

StrongLifts B Workout

15 minutes on elliptical to warm up

Squats 50 lbs 5x5
Overhead Press 45 lbs 5x5
Deadlifts 95 lbs 1x5

100 Push ups in 7:45.4 (this was much harder than Friday)
Done in 3 x 20, 4 x 10

15 minutes on elliptical to cool down (something like that, the push ups left me shattered)

I felt weak and tired all day today after my bike ride yesterday, which was just my pussy messing with my head. I feel better after a trip to the gym. Hamstring still feels ok, so I guess I'm not doing anything wrong.

Massage tomorrow, and perhaps another bike in the afternoon. My ass may not have recovered enough for another 2 hours in the saddle though...

9/1 Bike ride Tour de Lincoln

24.17 mi. 1:58 12.2 mph avg.
I missed part of my route and had to cycle on the shoulder while cars honked at me. Assholes.

Afterwards, I nearly passed out on the mile walk to the food truck rally for some Heoya noodle bowl.

I need more of these rides, I'm exhausted, my hamstring feels ok (my ass hurts from 2 hours in the seat), and I'm going to bed.

 

Stronglifts 8/30 Workout

I started the Stronglifts weight training program today. I'm going to do both Stronglifts and Hal Higdon's 12 week Novice half-marathon program.

So, today's workout:
15 minute treadmill walking @3 mph

Stronglifts A

• Squats 45 lbs. 5x5 (5 sets of 5 reps)
• Benchpress 95 lbs 5x5
• Barbell rows 65 lbs 5x5

30 minutes treadmill walking @3 mph

100 push ups (5x20)

Push ups 80-100 really hurt. My arms feel like noodles. Hamstring feels fine, though...

I hate sharing weight equipment at the gym. I don't mind going there for the treadmills, ellipticals, or the track, but I hate pumping iron with meatheads. That part of gym culture, I could totally do without.

2012 8/29 Workout

Not much really:

• Plank (with random 5 sec. leg lifts) 1 minute
• Floor wipers 5 each side (these suck!)
• Bridge (with random 5 sec. leg lifts) 1 minute
• Side Plank 1 minute per side
• Plank 1 minute

Meh.

I had PT today, and by mutual agreement, we've become more aggressive at treating this hamstring pull. So it was mostly drills (basically a workout) and then electrodes on the hamstring while my leg hopped like a frog. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow to work on it, and my training program begins in earnest in 12 days.

Knee surgery and the hamstring pull have put me behind the 8 ball, and time is running out. I have a (half) marathon to train for and it's 14 weeks away.

2012 8/28 Workout

Hamstring rehab exercises with 5 lb ankle weights. Bonus!

10 Good Mornings with 20 lb bar

10 Full Squats w/ bar

Bench Press 5x5

15 x 70 lbs warmup

5x120 lbs

5x140 lbs

5x150 lbs

5x160 lbs

5x165 lbs

(my form was really suffering at the end)

15 deg. Incline Benchpress 5x5

5x120 lbs

5x125 lbs

5x130 lbs

5x135 lbs

5x140 lbs

(again, my form suffered at the end)

I tried to do pike pushups afterwards, but collapsed after about 10. I iced my hamstring and knee while watching taped episodes of Anger Management. I hate it that the clown who mocked me at Warrior Dash was right, I do look like Charlie Sheen. Shit.

God, I miss running...

2012 8/25 workout

Jumping jacks warmup
Pike pushups 1 minute for time
20 Full Squats 20 lb bar (for form)
Plank 2x1 minute

Benchpress 5x5
15 x 70 lbs warmup
5x120 lbs
5x140 lbs
5x145 lbs
5x150 lbs
5x155 lbs
4x160 lbs (BONUS!)

15 deg. Incline Benchpress 5x5
5x100 lbs
5x105 lbs
5x110 lbs
5x120 lbs
5x130 lbs

Incline flies 2x10 8 lbs

Pike pushups 1 minute for time cooldown.

Awesome vanilla banana soy protein smoothie shake as a reward before dinner...

I'm getting closer to my short-term goal of being able to bench press my body weight (200 lbs).

Getting closer

PT is allowing me to do limited running (90 sec run/walk cycles) now, and I'm allowed to do quarter squats with light weights. Knee icing seems to handle what little pain results from it, looking good!

I'm planning on making the 8/26 Creighton Make a Wish 5k my return to racing. My only goal that day will be an uninjured finish.

It feels good to be doin'it again.

Men, stop touching your dicks!

Seriously, quit touching your dicks in public!

If you need to constantly reassure yourself that modern society hasn't stolen your penis while you were distracted, see a therapist.

If you can't keep it in place, and always need an adjust, wear different underwear.

Either way, quit playing with your dicks! I'm sick of being associated with that sh*t, you're making the rest of us look bad.

Smoothies

My current favorite smoothie recipe:

• 1 scoop GNC Pro Performance® AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60™ - strawberry flavored protein powder
• 1/3 package frozen berry medley
• Plain soy milk to fill up the blender to the 16oz line
• 4 heaping tablespoons of plain greek yogurt
• A banana
• A sprinkle of sugar
• A meager handful of ice cubes

Blend the f**k out of it, the texture is awesome. The protein powder is the worst-titled muscle-head jockstrap sounding thing out there, but it's good stuff. It doesn't upset your stomach or give you terrible protein-shake farts like some of the others (Muscle Milk, I'm looking at you) do.

Fortune Cookie Zen

After a plate of Shredded Beef with Garlic Sauce at House of Hunan, in the Big O: "Happy life is just in front of you.".

I just smiled amen to that, amen indeed.

Lessons of the Day (LOTD) 12 August 2012

Lessons learned today:

1. Kettlebells are exhausting. This shit gets hard quickly, no wonder Russians love it. It's like juggling cannonballs.
2. Kettlebells are best done outside. You will drop one, watch your feet.
3. Kettlebells are portable, and since they need to be done outside, you can take them to the park. When you're done, go for a run :-)
4. Bumper plates will get dropped. Best to put a mat under the weight bench to save the floor. I dropped a plate within minutes of setting up the bench, it landed on the mat. See, I'm right about this one.
5. Cheap weight sets (I'm looking straight at you, Sports Authority) do not have barbells with between collar-widths that are wide enough to use with not quite the cheapest weight benches the same vendor sells (I'm looking straight at you again, Sports Authority). Then you get to buy a new barbell (again, Sports Authority) that is wide enough between the collars to use your cheap-ass weights with your not-quite cheap ass weight bench. Motherf**ker.
6. Just spend two or three times as much and buy an Olympic bar and Olympic bumper plates to begin with. The cheap ones are halfway there on price, without coming close on experience.

Athletic Bucket List

So, Facebook turned me on to Nissan's Innovation for Endurance Fitness Bucket List for Women today, it's four fitness goals for women that are actually pretty good; hold a plank for 60 seconds, do 10 push-ups (real ones), hold the tree pose for 60 seconds, run a half marathon.

This got me to thinking about my goals, such as I have them (I am notoriously goalless, and have largely just rode the current of my chaotic life). So I thought I'd put some goals down here, name 'em, claim 'em, and maybe make them happen.

1. Run a sub-30 minute 5k; this is the entry-level for a serious runner.
2. Run a sub-50 minute 10k; I want negative-splits the whole way.
3. Run a half-marathon in under 2 hours.
4. Run a marathon; specifically, the Marine Corps Marathon (aka The People's Marathon).
5. Run a half-marathon distance trail race.
6. Do 100 push-ups in front of somebody; awe them with my bad-assedness. 
7. Survive a Tough Mudder.
8. Race Cyclocross for a season.
9. Ride a Century.
10. Complete Paris-Brest-Paris and wear the Finisher's medal all the way home.
11. Be able to swim 400m.
12. Complete a Duathlon. 
13. Compete at the Cornhusker State Games.
14. Garner an invitation to drive, and drive the Alfa in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge (SORC Race).
15. Drive Laguna Seca, at speed, in anger; Nail the corkscrew.

That's probably a pretty good start. Some of them are pretty out-there, like Paris-Brest-Paris, but it's a good start nevertheless.

Good to go

My Orthopedic surgeon started off the conversation today with: "What aren't you already doing, that you want to do?" "Running." I replied. "Start" was his response.

F**k yeah.

Pull-ups keep increasing, I nailed a set of four, two sets of three, and then petered out with a set of two today.

F**k yeah.

Plank test

I did a plank test tonight, held a forward plank for 2 minutes 6 seconds. It started to really hurt after 1 minute 30.

That's about 1 minute longer than I thought I could do it.

F**k that's cold!

I'm back in the saddle again, back on the bike. I did 16 miles this morning at 16 mph on a nice tour of Lincoln. My ass isn't used to the bike, so I'm sitting on a large cold pack while I write this, while another cold pack is wrapped around my surgery knee.

F**k that's cold!

I heartily endorse Chattanooga Colpac cold packs, btw. Sarah, my physical therapist, turned me onto them. $pendy, but worth it.

Drill Instructor

I remember my dad telling me about a pot-bellied Drill Sargent he had who would proudly eat an apple, after removing his dentures, while doing one-handed pushups. That's one tough motherf***er.

And I'm all proud of myself for completing 3x3 sets of real, honest pullups. That was a pleasant surprise, and the I turn around to see a pregnant Zumba instructor absolutely slaughter her class. She wasn't even sweating.

She probably could have managed to give birth and chew through the cord, without interrupting class. I started to feel like a pussy, but then realized I'd have to man up quite a bit, perhaps by deadlifting a car off the top of a pregnant Zumba instructor giving birth without interrupting class, to even be a pussy.

I have a long way to go...

The patience to recover

I'm smart, I've been lucky that way most of my life, but patience is not something I have in abundance. My Physical Therapist, wants me to wait, and waiting is hard. To give her credit, she keeps mixing it up. Now she has me standing on one leg with my eyes closed, and she taunts me by telling me, every time I put my other foot down, that I've failed another Field Sobriety Test. She lets me lift weights, and I now have hours of calisthenics to do each day. With daily performance of every variation of leg lift imaginable, I can crack a walnut between my ass cheeks. Ok, I can crack a peanut between my ass cheeks, but you can't, so piss off...

I understand now why all the CrossFit'ers are always so fucking angry. The weight lifting and the calisthenics are all buildup and no release, sex without climax. I need the bike, I need the run, I need the glorious exhaustion that you feel after spending it all, that post-coital collapse. I need the patience to recover.

WOTD: Fictitional

Heard today, "Fictitional" That's a fictitional example. Awesome :-)

Compressed

As mentioned earlier, I'm post-knee surgery. At this time, it's been 4.5 weeks since I last ran. Prior to that, I had been averaging 15-25 miles per week, running three to five days per week. I felt good. I felt fucking sane.

So, you can see where this is going...

After the injury but pre-surgery, I cycled and swam. The cycling was enough to wear me out, and I love the exhilaration that comes with riding a bike at speed, but it still wasn't running.

Fast forward, post-surgery and I'm doing push-ups on the hotel room floor, knee all bandaged up. The Percocet sucks every ounce of endurance from me, I feel weak and numb. Mostly, I just sleep and follow an ice/percocet routine.

Physical therapy is doing a fabulous job rehabilitating my knee, Sarah keeps changing the routine, but there's only so many calisthenics a man can do. I'm tossing medicine balls, doing long planks, push-ups and crunches till I lie there aching, but all it does is build up the tension even greater. I'm like a spring, compressed to the point of coil bind, aching for release.

Running makes me calm, workouts make me aggressive. I need to release.

In Limbo, so a new blog...

I'm in limbo right now, in oh so many ways. I'm away from home at the moment, so I'm feeling a bit like a refugee, and fresh knee surgery won't allow me to run off the stress I'm feeling.

For the sake of context and to satisfy the self-confessional needs of blogging, I'm a 45 yo male IT worker (there's a fucking surprise). I was widowed four years ago, and it hurt, but not as badly as the way it was subsequently used against me emotionally for years afterwards.

By the time I freed myself from that emotionally-abusive relationship, I'd temporarily lost my health, my motorsports hobby, my hometown, and my 25 year long pack a day smoking habit. I visited a doctor for the first time in years, and she said: "all that shit you've been doing, stop. All that shit you haven't been doing, start. You need 30 minutes of exercise every day, for you, an hour or more would be better. Don't even think about ever picking up a cigarette again, you're an addict."

So, I went out and quit doing the shit I'd been doing, and started doing the shit I hadn't.

And here I am, eight months later, in limbo, recovering from a meniscus tear I suffered while running, away from home, and feeling like a refugee.