2013 Fitness Goals

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It’s already the beginning of March and this is my first post of 2013. Time flies when you don’t make room for things in your life.

I want to start out the post by saying you’re going to see a lot of subtle changes around the site as the year progresses. I have already updated to a new theme, begun adding pages (albeit they are all blank) and I am working on adding my Beachbody business info where appropriate. I’m also going to be highlighting some of my own digital photography endeavors on the page.

I want to give a brief fitness recap on what I’ve been up to since the last posting; where I see myself headed this year and where I want to go in the future. First things first; for those of you who don’t remember I ran in the Columbus Marathon last October and I ran the 1/2 marathon distance. I finished just over two hours thirty minutes with an average pace of 12:34. I was completely and totally excited with that pace and completing in my fastest time ever!

What did I do to celebrate? I quit working out and running; it’s so very easy to fall off the horse… So now I’ve been picking myself up and getting back on the whole fitness routine again. Running with my run club and hitting the gym sporadically.

A few weeks ago I was trying to think of my fitness goals for the year. I obviously want to run in the Capital City Half Marathon and try to best my time from the half in October. Doing the Half Marathon in May certainly provides the motivation to get to the gym and get running. I can’t run another half and do worse than I did in October. My time goal for this half is to finish it in under two hours and thirty minutes. It’s a stretch goal as I will be attempting to shave just over eight total minutes off of my time but I think doable as it helps provide the motivation.

Then in October I have a choice; I can either do another Half Marathon again or get my ass in gear and do a full blown 26.2 miles. I have decided that I am going to bite the bullet and race in the complete Marathon. The Columbus Marathon will be my first marathon and it seems appropriate that I start the year with a half and finish the year with a full.

However; between May and October there is a lull in training. Granted I will have to do a lot more running to get myself prepared for the full marathon but I feel like I need something else and something a little different to keep my interest. I was scouting around events on the web and saw the Commit to be fit triathlon in July. Then I stopped myself and thought “no, I couldn’t possibly do a triathlon in July… I’ve never trained for it; I’m not a big swimmer; I have no tri gear.”

Negativity began to surround the idea.

To combat the negative thoughts I went scouring the web for beginner Sprint Triathlon training and what I saw was pretty shocking. In all of the various programs I found online they all seemed to think that you only need a few months of regular training to get yourself up to snuff for a sprint. Further they all seem to think that you shouldn’t over train for the event.

The Negativity began to subside and I have made the Triathlon a part of my fitness goals.

My fitness goals for 2013 are:

Finish the Columbus Distance Classic in under 2:30:00
Finish the Commit to be Fit Sprint Triathlon
Finish the Columbus Marathon

If you notice I have no other conditions for my goals for the triathlon or the marathon other than to finish. My goal is to simply finish, see how I perform and ideally not to finish last. Once I get these two new events under my belt I can begin to fine tune timing and goals next year.

back on the horse

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I had lofty aspirations this year; I was going to start with Power 90 graduate into Power 90 Masters Series and then work my way into P90X and finish the year strong with P90X2. Life often has a way of getting in the way of your goals.

Last week I was traveling for business and I was assisting in doing a setup for a few clients. The setup consisted of me throwing around 19″ monitors and slinging open computer boxes to setup around 600 users for a new desktop experience. It was definitely something my body wasn’t used to doing on a daily basis.

To put this into perspective; I have a desk job where I spend nine or ten hours plugging away at a computer the brunt of my workouts come from the gym. Six, seven, eight hours of throwing around monitors and setting up new systems gave my body a workout that I wasn’t expecting.

I foolishly brought my workout clothes and resistance bands with me thinking that I would be able to restart Power90 while I was away. Wake up early bust out a thirty minute workout and feel really great for the rest of the day. Of course, I didn’t realize that I would be slinging monitors for hours a day. I didn’t realize that twelve and fourteen hour days would leave me exhausted and barely able to move once I got into bed.

It was the best of intentions but unfortunately I just couldn’t press play with Tony. I do feel like I got a bit of a workout throughout the day and I did notice that at the end of the week I had to move to another a smaller belt loop. With all the heavy lifting I only managed to drop a pound.

I rested for the weekend trying to get caught up from an overly exhausting week. I didn’t run, I didn’t lift, I laid around with my dog and attended a picnic on Sunday. It was a great end to the week.

Still somewhat exhausted I unpacked my bag from my trip last week, took out my resistance bands, put on my heart rate monitor and pressed play. I forgot how intense Power 90 can be with just resistance bands. I forgot how badly I sweat during the workout and how much I enjoy the lunges and squats. I didn’t forget how badly I hate pushups and how I really want a stronger chest to push through.

The thing about falling off the horse isn’t really about how you fell off or how long you stayed off; it’s really about how you bring yourself back into the game. I know it’s a cliche but that’s what life is all about; it’s not about how badly you fall or how long you stay off. It’s how you pick yourself up and carry yourself after. I know I’m behind my personal goals of where I wanted to be by this year; but I am amazed at what I was able to accomplish.

I didn’t just give up. I didn’t just say it was too hard. I restarted and have the determination to see the program through to the end.

goal pants

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I like fashion. I like dressing up and lately I have had a suit fetish. I have been wanting a suit or two to begin wearing; either at work or out on the town. Granted I don’t really have a job that needs or requires a suit but — I think I would look damn good in one.

I had a vest from Express that I wore and loved. Fortunately I lost a lot of weight and unfortunately it didn’t quite fit properly anymore. It was a sad but rewarding experience to try it on and have it hang off of my body; even when the back strap was pulled tight. it was great because I shrunk from an extra large.

I was in Elderbeerman on a fluke shopping with my mum when I decided to go over to their (ever shrinking) men’s section. They had quite a few racks of clearance items and of course, that’s where I naturally landed. Browsing through a rack of dress shirts all but two, too large for me anymore. However; they did have a CK slim fit dress shirt that I had to have. I tried it on and was amazed that it fit and it fit well.

The next rack over had a bunch of suit separates from Kenneth Cole. My love and interest of suits naturally drew me over and I began perusing the rack. I have no idea what my jacket size is anymore and I didn’t really want to spend that kind of money. I thought I could accessorize the vest appropriately. A vest and a good pair of jeans is a decent outfit; and it wasn’t too expensive.

I debated on whether or not I should buy the matching dress pants but with still owing the hospital some cash I decided against them. Granted I paid off the hospital bill and not having those dress slacks had been weighing on my mind. I wanted them the vest and the slacks would make a great outfit.

I ran back out to Elderbeerman but the sale was off and the pants were back up to full price. Granted it wasn’t that expensive but $50 is far better than $100. So I went online on a full out search ebay, macy’s but finally I found the pants at overstock.com; and they weren’t $100. They were 59.99 so I had to buy.

I bought the pants in a 32×30 thinking that I would be able to fit into them easily. The online reviews state that they run a little big and that they really fit like a 33. Well they arrived on my doorstep today and I eagerly tried them on…. only to find out they don’t quite fit.

They are a tad too snug…

Disappointing that I can’t fit into them and pull them off with the vest…

However; they are now a goal. They are hanging in my closet; front and center. They will remind me daily that I need to keep my Power90 and running up. They will remind me that I need to forgo the coke and drink water.

I will fit into the pants and of course; I will provide an update when I do.

beachbody

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About a year and a half ago I signed up to be a BeachBody Coach. You probably have seen some of the infomercials on television. They offer a wide variety of fitness programs and services; ranging from the ever popular P90X to Insanity.

I signed up with the idea that I would be able to follow their workout program and hopefully be able to be a marketable success. Let’s watch the chubby gay man gain a bit of self confidence and work through some body image issues. However; I haven’t really been that truthful to the program or myself.

I could come up with a thousand different excuses on why I have not been successful; but the simple truth is I have not made the time. I haven’t focused the appropriate amount of energies towards following the program and getting fit. I thought that in 2012 I would be able to spend a year with Tony.

If I have learned anything over the course of the past nine months it’s that even the best intentions can go awry. Between being ill, recovering, then really being sick, and now finally recovering; I let it all fall to the way side. It’s an excuse, albeit it a rather plausible one but now I have to make a change.

I need to rededicate myself into drinking my Shakeology for lunch and following the workout plan. There is no better place to start than right now, picking up the pieces from Power90 and starting over again. It is a Monday, the start of a week, and I know I can begin to mix this program in with my marathon training.

Power90 is a great beginning program. It will allow me to get back into the gym, become reacquainted with working out and work towards completing P90X. With the intensity of the program I should begin to see changes in my body. It would be nice to firm up my ass and drop a little bit of weight from my midsection (I know, I know, you can’t spot train… but a man can dream right?).

In addition; I will need to pay closer attention to my diet. Really watching my intake and ensuring that the nutrients that I get are sound. Unfortunately that means also cutting out some of my weaknesses (Reese’s Cups – anyone?). Fortunately after finding out that I have celiac’s my diet has been vastly better than it was before; but there is always room for improvement.

I firmly believe that once everything begins to fall into place that it will begin to click; that fitness will become easier. In addition; I will have a story that I can use to help motivate others to take that first step on a healthier path.

If you’re at all interested in finding out more information about BeachBody or any of their Fitness Programs or Solutions; drop me a line. I would love to spend some time chatting with you and hopefully finding a solution that will work for you.

training for the october half

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Once I got out of the hospital and off of the oxygen my goal for the year was to finish the october half marathon. Of course, when I was discharged from the hospital I wasn’t quite able to walk fifteen feet without being drenched in sweat and out of breath.

The idea of running thirteen miles seemed like a pipe dream.

I knew I needed a plan and a way to keep me on track.

I’ve been following a somewhat specific training plan; mixing my running/jogging with walking. Trying to hit all of the major milestones to get me to the finish line. This program has me working fairly hard, training to get my mileage and my lungs back up to capacity. Following this training program I have found that each run gets easier and easier.

To keep me motivated I use Nikeplus. It’s a great program that I installed on my phone, it provides ample information as I log my miles, and helps provide motivation. Not only can I get cheers from friends, but I also earn virtual “trophies” from Nike.

One of the first things I do in the morning is to check the progress I’ve made on Nikeplus and then check to see what my training goal is for the day. Granted there are days that I skip my suggested training, but reviewing the site every day helps remind me that the half marathon is right up around the corner.

In August I’ve ran a total of 39 miles with an average pace of 13’41″ and I have burned a total of 4,566 calories. The one thing I have to try and research is the average heart rate. I run with a Polar fitness watch, but it doesn’t seem to integrate with my Galaxy Nexus and the Running app.

The other nice thing about the app and the webpage is that it tracks your individual runs as well. Do you want to know your pace, while running up hill? The app integrates in with a mapping program to show you your pace with the elevation. Want to know where and when you’re slow, the app shows you on the map. It’s probably not the most useful information for professional runners; but, for those of us doing this as a hobby and a way to get back into the game I’ve found the app to be invaluable.

When I ran my first half in 2009 I crossed the finish line at 3:01:44 which was a 13’55″ mile. It was a challenge and I knew I was slow, but I felt accomplished. I set out to do something I had never done before and in my mind I succeed. I have been recording all of these statistics to help get me to the finish line faster.

It doesn’t matter to me if I cross the finish line with a second faster pace or a ten second faster pace. I will have crossed the finish line faster than my first half. I will feel like I have recovered fully from my extended stint in the hospital and it’s the confidence boost I’m in desperate need of right now.