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Post by Merk on Mar 2, 2020 15:52:42 GMT
Good Morning JSFer's. Sunday was another glorious day outside so I went for another run, I couldn't resist...although I should have. (I'll get to that in a bit). So I decided to try a full 5k and see how well I did.
5K TEST RUN. AVG PACE 8:01 MIN/KM AVG MOVING PACE 8:00 MIN/KM BEST PACE 4:10 MIN/KM AVG SPEED 7.5 KM/HR AVG MOVING SPEED 7.5 KM/HR MAX SPEED 14.4 KM/HR TOTAL TIME 40:12 MOVING TIME 40:10 AVG HEART RATE 154 BPM MAX HEAT RATE 171 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 188 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 209 SPM AVG STRIDE LENGTH 0.67 MOverall I am really happy with this. I ran 5k and enjoyed it. I wasn't gassed out, winded, and hating life. I absolutely loved the entire experience....I never thought I'd see the day. It really goes to show how re-framing the mind can have a massive difference on ones entire life! I'm hoping to shave at least 5 min off that time between now and June. I'm far from any kind of elite numbers (36, Male, Elite 13:20 5K) Currently I'm in the lower 33% with an age-graded time of 39:18. Even at 35 min that puts in me in the lower 37% range. To get into the 50% area I need a time of 25 min! Wow! So why was this a bad idea? Well my ankles and right knee are not very happy with me today...not at all. 3 times a week right now is a good pace and I should abide to that as well as the training regime. Adding more days and things outside of my current training just isn't wise. I'm going to ruin myself before I know it, which I'm famous for. I start out well and then take on more than I should because I can handle it at the time. As soon as things get hard then I'm screwed because I maxed myself out some time ago. So 3 times a week, slow and steady. I hope you're having a great day. Enjoy the moment
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Post by Merk on Mar 5, 2020 14:49:36 GMT
Good Morning!
I hope you're all doing well and have found the time to take stock in all the good things going on in your life, if not take the time now.
I'm grateful for;
Morning snuggles with Maya and giving her a morning kiss on the head while she sleeps before I head to work. The radiant sunrise and gorgeous blue sky this morning. Warmer weather and the smells of spring that it brings. The opportunity to have a positive impact on other peoples lives, even if it's just a small amount. Another day, another chance, to better myself.
Those are the 5 things I am grateful for today (there is so much more, but these are my 5 listed for the day).
I have been off from the gym since Sunday. I've been giving my right knee a rest. Walking has been a challenge but with each passing day it has gotten better. I had the intentions of going to the gym last night but I decided it was time to give myself a haircut and a beard trim. This took a lot longer than I had anticipated. But that is ok, I still have 4 days left in the week to get my training in.
I had a friend call me out of the blue last night which was awesome. We are hoping to get together in the next couple of weeks. One thing he had mentioned is he wants to start working on his relationships more. I think it's a grand idea and something I'm going to adopt as well. I want to improve the relationships I have with those I care about, even with the people I don't care about as deeply.
Onto my books for the month.
Falling Upward - Richard Rohr. Life's Great Question - Tom Rath.
Falling Upward is very much like The Second Mountain by David Brooks (which I read last month). Although there is more emphasis on religion, not that it's done in a bad way. Both books talk about serving others. Very much the creator mindset of what is it you can offer the world? They both talk about spending the first half of our life figuring things out and getting out of life what it offers but then the second part of our life is about what we can put back into the world. This is the main takeaway I got from both books. Both are fantastic books, worth the read.
Life's Big Question by Tom Rath. This one talks about multiple topics. Mortality, making the best out of the time you have, finding purpose, serving others, connecting to what we do, creating urgency in your life, etc. This one hit close to home as I have been one that has kept mortality in the back of my brain for a long, long time. Now that's not to say I have ever took the initiative in creating urgency in getting things done because of it lurking around. Although as of late I look back at the things I have not done and yet to do which has been creating that urgency, slowly. The main theme is discovering how you contribute to the world.
What do you do in a day that is a positive contribution to those around you?
Think about that for a second.
Be positive, Appreciate, Elevate, my friends!
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Post by Merk on Mar 6, 2020 11:28:47 GMT
It's Fri-yay! Last night I got in a good chest and tri workout and a run. First the run; 2.35 KM AVG PACE 10:49 MIN/KM AVG SPEED 5.5 KM/H TOTAL TIME 25:18 AVG HEART RATE 131 BPM MAX HEART RATE 154 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 146 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 211 SPM AVG STRIDE LENGTH 0.64 M I didn't push things. I kept a slower jog pace for the initial warm up, put the work in for the CD's, and then spent the cool down portion walking. Everything felt good, next run is on Saturday. On to the training; CHEST/TRI MACHINE PRESS 70X20 120X10 170X5 200X5 250X5 250X5 250X5 FLYES 70X10 100X10 120X10 140X10 160X5 180X5 200X5 BENCH PRESS 135X10 185X5 225X3 230X3 230X3 135X20 135X15 ROPE TRI PULLDOWN 70X10 80X10 100X10 120X5 140X5 150X5 150X5 120X5 (15 SEC ISO HOLD AT END) 120X5 (15 SEC ISO HOLD AT THE END) 120X10 DIP MACHINE 245X10 245X10 245X10 FIN And that was that.
I hope you all have a great day.
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Post by Merk on Mar 7, 2020 16:30:36 GMT
Happy Saturday to one and all!
Today the weather is fantastic! Sunny, warm, and not a cloud in the sky! My knee felt perfect so I went for a nice run. 4.56km AVG PACE 7:29 MIN/KM BEST PACE 5:34 MIN/KM AVG SPEED 8.0 KM/HR MAX SPEED 10.8 KM//HR TOTAL TIME 34.09 AVG HEART RATE 156 BPM MAX HEART RATE 172 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 190 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 205 SPM AVG STRIDE LENGTH 0.70M This took me straight into my back/bi workout.
BACK/BI
SEATED ROWS 70X10 100X10 140X5 200X5 250X5 250X5 250X5
ONE ARM ROWS 260X5 260X5 260X5
PULLOVERS 260X5 260X5 260X5
DUMBBELL CURLS 8X10 15X10 25X5 35X5 35X5 35X5
E-Z BAR CURLS 100X5 130X5 130X5 130X5
FIN
I hope you all have yourself a great day and a great weekend! Time for the dentist, Ciao!
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Post by Merk on Mar 10, 2020 13:43:45 GMT
It's Tuesday and it's awesome!
I started the day off with some meditation, a cold shower, and took a few minutes to myself.
Last night I took advantage of the nice weather and went for a run and did some legs.
2.88 KM AVG PACE 8:48 MIN/KM BEST PACE 5:40 MIN/KM AVG SPEED 6.8 KM/H MAX SPEED 10.6 KM/H TOTAL TIME 25:17 AVG HEART RATE 139 BPM MAX HEART RATE 158 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 170 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 248 SPM AVG STRIDE LENGTH 0.67 M This led into;
LEGS
LEG CURLS 70X20 100X10 120X5 140X5 160X5 170X5 190X5 170X5 DROP 150X5 DROP 130X5 DROP 110X5 DROP 70X5
LEG EXTENSIONS 100X10 120X5 150X5 170X5 190X5 200X5 200X5 200X5
CALF RAISES 210X10 210X10 210X10
FIN
I ended things there and made my way home. After the running I did I had a really good pump in my legs and felt this workout was sufficient. There was a little regret I didn't do any squatting, but I feel it was a good call.
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Post by Merk on Mar 12, 2020 14:19:07 GMT
Good Morning Everyone!
I hope you're all having a great day.
Yesterday I went in for an echocardiogram and an ECG, just making sure everything is working the way it's supposed to. After that, I went for a run.
3.23 KM TIME 25:11 MIN AVG PACE 7:48 MIN/KM AVG HEART RATE 156 BPM MAX HEART RATE 168 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 178 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 228 SPM
Things went fairly well. A co-worker of mine has a run time average of 5:11 MIN/KM. It's something strive for
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Post by macdiver on Mar 12, 2020 19:51:33 GMT
That is cold. I would have called it a freezing walk not brisk. smile
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Post by Merk on Mar 14, 2020 22:46:54 GMT
Good Afternoon and happy weekend!
With Canada increasing with COVID-19 cases we are now experiencing the same shopping panic, shutdowns, and anti-social/xenophobic behaviours as many other parts of the world.
I feel fortunate that during these trying times there is a high probability I will be able to continue to work without disruption. Although that could change, we shall see. As I tell Maya; "Just one foot in front of the other" Maya and I did however make the decision to shut the doors to our business for the time being. Hopefully it won't be a long term thing, even if it is. We will make due.
Remember! Wash your hands! For the time being I will be abstaining from going to the gym. I will opt for home based workouts until the dust settles. Running will continue as scheduled...even if it means I do it in the house. If a man in China can do a marathon in his tiny apartment I can do it too. Speaking of running... 4KM TIME 37:39 PACE 9.25 MIN/KM BEST PACE 5:51 MIN/KM AVG SPEED 6.4 KM/HR MAX SPEED 10.2 KM/HR AVG HEART RATE 141 BPM MAX HEART RATE 166 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 152 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 198 SPM AVG STRIDE 0.69 M
I started out strong! My first KM was done in 6:31 this is by far my best pace yet and something I felt I could hold....that is until my right calf got a pump so bad I thought it was going to explode....and then it happened in my left a couple min later. It wasn't long after I started to run, walk, run....then walk...slight run..walk slower...even more slight run...then walk slower...and more slowly after that. It was horrific! My calves hurt so bad that I even stopped a couple of times. I couldn't help but wonder if I had warmed up enough or did enough priming prior.
By the time I had limped through the door I had some a few questions for Dr.Google. My main one was "Can creatine cause muscle cramps/pumps while running?" (I just started taking creatine again just last week). I found many different answers to this question but there was one that stuck out a bit.
You can check it out here.
I'm going drop creatine for the time being and see if the cramps/pump improve (as well as my blood pressure..it's been a little on the high side this past week.) This isn't to say that creatine is the cause but I don't see the harm in dropping it and see what the outcome may be.
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Post by M@ on Mar 15, 2020 5:49:09 GMT
This isn't to say that creatine is the cause but I don't see the harm in dropping it and see what the outcome may be. I love this. Experiment. See what works for you. I need to do more of this, particularly when I find something that I think is producing results for me.
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Post by Merk on Mar 15, 2020 16:00:30 GMT
This isn't to say that creatine is the cause but I don't see the harm in dropping it and see what the outcome may be. I love this. Experiment. See what works for you. I need to do more of this, particularly when I find something that I think is producing results for me. I've always been one to try new things, especially when it comes to physical fitness. Things like military training, Squatober (which I successfully completed last October and will do again this October), Metcons, old school bodybuilding regimes as well some of the new school variants, powerbuilding (which I feel I gravitate more towards), powerlifting, etc, etc. As you know I'm currently dabbling in running and once I complete my 5K then I will be getting into OCR (Obstacle course racing). Supplementation I'm no different. Over the years I have used so many different supplements as well as different combinations to see how my body would react and if in fact they worked as they claimed. My current focus have been around adaptogens. Moving forward I will be moving into smart drugs (Modafinil for example) and eventually power medicines like LCD (micro dosing), Ayahuasca, DMT, and the like. I don't take the latter items lightly. I wish to use these power medicines to expand my mind, elevate my consciousness, and to experience "ego death". Hell, given the opportunity I would take hormones and anabolic steroids to take my body to superhuman levels. However, my biggest issues with PED usage is not having access to pharma products and doctor support/testing.....aaaaannd having heart issues on both sides of my family. Now to be clear, PED's don't cause heart issues, cancer, etc. BUT! if you were predispose to have heart/cancer issues then they could quicken the process to these issues presenting themselves. I digress. My point is, I love experimenting!
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Post by macdiver on Mar 15, 2020 23:09:36 GMT
That was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing.
My experience when i started running was that my calfs were always sore afterwards (like DOMS sore, dull ache not sharp pain) but didn't hinder performance while running. I was going to say I hope your experiment is successful but regardless if it is the creatine or not, your experiment will let you know so it will be successful.
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Post by Merk on Mar 16, 2020 14:28:25 GMT
That was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing. My experience when i started running was that my calfs were always sore afterwards (like DOMS sore, dull ache not sharp pain) but didn't hinder performance while running. I was going to say I hope your experiment is successful but regardless if it is the creatine or not, your experiment will let you know so it will be successful. I'm glad you found the read interesting. My calves have been quite tolerant of everything I have been doing so far. I would have expected these issues to be in the beginning not 4 weeks in. I have a run today and I'm hoping that I don't run into the same issues again. I'm going to do Joe Defranco's Agile 8 prior to running and see if it makes a difference.
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Post by Merk on Mar 18, 2020 14:08:50 GMT
Health and happiness to everyone.
Monday I moved my CD run to Tuesday and proceeded to do an at-home workout.
Monday's workout.
LUNGESx10 PIKE SHOULDER PRESSx10 PUSH UPSx10 LEG RAISESX10 D-BELL OVERHEAD TRICEP EXTENSIONSx10 LEG HOLDx20 SEC. D-BELL CURLSx10 TRX ORANGE BAND SHOULDER PRESSx10
3 ROUNDS NO REST.
Tuesday's CD Run:
3.3KM MIN 29:15 PACE 8:51 AVG SPEED 6.8 KM/HR AVG HEART RATE 150 BPM MAX HEART RATE 167 BPM AVG RUN CADENCE 172 SPM MAX RUN CADENCE 211 SPM AVG STRIDE LENGTH 0.66 M
It was a little weird training in the middle of the living room listening to 80's glam rock, but I got it done. Tuesday's run wasn't the best but I cannot expect all runs to be record-breaking and to cater to my ego. I had to check myself and come to grips that it was going to be sub-par and to simply work with what I had.
I've continued to do my meditation, cold showers, breathing techniques, etc. I'm now 2 months in and I cannot believe the difference in my well being. I really look forward to how life will continue to change and evolve while I dive deeper into these practices. What is great is Maya has started to use WHM (Wim Hof Method). This gives us the chance to go down these roads together, to learn from one another, and strengthen our relationship that much more. So pretty exciting stuff in my eyes.
I haven't talked too much about my books for the month lately. To be honest, I haven't been as avid. Currently, I have done Indistractable by Nir Lyal. Considering today is the 18th that really doesn't give me a lot of time to get my 10 books in for the month. 9 more to go.
Next book Character Strengths Matter by Shannon M. Polly and Kathryn Britton.
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Post by Merk on Apr 9, 2020 21:52:15 GMT
Hey Everyone.
I really hope you're doing well.
I struggle to write these days, which is quite apparent. I've tried once or twice to write but found myself writing, deleting, re-writing, pause, delete, re-write, pause, hit x-button, and walk away. Hell, I have spent more time deleting and re-writing this post more than I'd like to admit. But I told myself I'm going to write and publish this post no matter what. It's strange, I have found writing to be very positive and therapeutic...but lately it's been something that causes me stress and frustration.
It's been almost a month since Maya and I shut the doors to our salon and I'm in my third week of being laid off. Luckily I was offered the opportunity to work night shift (9pm-5am) doing security, which I took without hesitation. I will be doing this until things get back to normal and I can return to my regular job. Although I've began to wonder if I'm really all that interested in returning to my regular job...that conversation is for a different time.
Meditation, breathing, cold showers, books, and running seem to be my go to for stress relief. (I'm not going through as many books as I was but I'm still getting in at least one book a week.)
Running continues to improve. I'm able to run 5 km regularly, my times continue to improve, and my BPM has lowered. Many of the runs I do now have me at 140-145 bpm as an average whereas 4-5 weeks ago my average bpm was 160-165. The 5K I've been training for hasn't been cancelled yet but even if it does I'm going to run 5K that day and send the results to the organization.
That pretty much sums up the past few weeks.
As I settle into this new norm and routine I'm hoping to add writing back into the mix and hopefully in time it will start to work it's way back to being a positive, creative, therapeutic outlet.
Stay safe, wash your hands like you just touched an jalapeno and have to rub your eyes, and keep being awesome.
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Post by seltzer on Apr 10, 2020 18:04:22 GMT
Stress.....it's insidious and affects people in different ways. You have a good handle on how to reduce yours so keep at it.
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