DAY 32

I ran today for the first time since getting sick.  It's been a far too long hiatus, but I'm back.

"Clear eyes, full hearts..."

DISTANCE RAN:    5.8 miles
WEIGH-IN:             131.4 pounds

DAYS 23-31

SICK DAYS!

DAY 22

The good, the bad, and the ugly...  I woke up with a cold today, so that meant no exercise.  That's the bad.  The good is that it forces me to take a rest.  That's the good.  I don't know how long I'll be sick.  That's the ugly.  Probably should have skipped the Cannonau.

BREAKFAST:         1/4 cup of McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal
                             1 handful of blueberries
LUNCH:                 Lemon and garlic chicken breast from Gelsons
                             6 grape tomatoes
                             Steamed spinach
                             1/3 cup of brown rice
                             Granny Smith apple
 SNACK:                2 handfuls of blueberries
DINNER:                Dolmas vegetarian plate from California Pita
                             (Brown rice, side salad, hummus, grape leaves)
                             8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna

DAY 21

I had my first bowl of oatmeal today.  I actually liked it.  

Mileage-wise, I went easy on myself.  

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (Week 2 of the Twenty Pullup Challenge)
BICYCLE CRUNCHES (4 sets of 15 reps)

DISTANCE RAN:    3.3 miles
WEIGH-IN:             127.6 pounds
BREAKFAST:         1/4 cup of McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal
                              Kiwi
SNACK:                  Granny Smith apple
LUNCH:                  Hummus
                              Grape tomatoes
                              Almonds

SNACK:                   Banana
                               Blueberries
DINNER:                  Lemon and garlic chicken breast from Gelsons
                               Red pepper and white onion (with garlic and turmeric)
                               Brown rice
                               8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna
LATE SNACK:         1 handful of blueberries
                               4 almonds

DAY 20

Did the 6-mile run today.  And once again, I've recorded my lowest post-run weigh-in yet of 127.6 pounds!  Looking forward to the day when drinking the water I lost doesn't put me back in the 130's.  I'm guessing I'm about two weeks away from that.  Target remains at 119-120 pounds.

DISTANCE RAN:          6.0 miles
WEIGH-IN:                   127.6 pounds
LATE BREAKFAST:      1 scrambled egg 
                                    1 handful of blueberries
                                    A few grape tomatoes  
LUNCH:                        Black beans and brown rice (from Whole Foods)
SNACK:                        Granny Smith apple and a few grape tomatoes 
DINNER:                       Lemon and garlic chicken breast from Gelsons 
                                    Kale with red onion and grape tomatoes
                                    1/3 cup of brown rice
                                    8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna

DAY 19

I gave my knees a break today after yesterday's 6-mile run.  So instead of running, I walked about 4.5 miles.

Also, I noticed that olive oil is 120 calories per tablespoon.  Gonna try to cook in vegetable broth more often. 

The insomnia went away last night!

DISTANCE WALKED:   4.5 miles
WEIGH-IN:                   129.4 pounds
LUNCH:                       Organic black beans
                                   Brown rice
                                   Kale, white onions and garlic
SNACK:                       2 handfuls of blueberries
DINNER:                       2 scrambled eggs
                                    Brown rice
                                    Steamed spinach
                                    Grape tomatoes
                                     8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna
SNACK:                        A few almonds
LATE NIGHT SNACK:    A few almonds
                                     1 handful of blueberries
                                     A few grape tomatoes

DAY 18

Went for a 6-mile run today.  Recorded my lowest post-run weigh-in yet of 129 pounds!  Of course, replenishing the water I lost brings me back into the 130's, but still loving the steady, downward trend.

The only negative with this training (and this may not actually be related) is that last night I had a bad case of insomnia.  I was up until 5AM.  Here's hoping tonight goes differently.

DISTANCE RAN:          6.0 miles
WEIGH-IN:                   129.0 pounds
LATE BREAKFAST:      1 scrambled egg with turmeric
                                    1 slice of whole wheat toast  
                                    1 handful of blueberries  
SNACK:                        1 handful of blueberries
SNACK:                        1 handful of blueberries 
SNACK:                        Banana                            
DINNER:                       Diced chicken breast fried in vegetable broth
                                    Steamed spinach
                                    Roughly 2 to 3 ouncs of whole grain pasta
                                    Red pepper, white onion, garlic, shaved ginger root, turmeric
                                    8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna
SNACK:                       A few almonds

DAY 17

I decided to give my knees a break after yesterday's  6.1-mile run and just walk 3.6 miles.  Although, I did do a few hard sprints for some botched intervals action.  

I should note that on Day One, after I finished my run and lost whatever water I lost, my weight was 135.2 pounds. After today's relatively mild exercise (which means less water lost), my weight was 130.4 pounds.  So it's a safe calculation that since I began training and eating better (for the most part, anyway) over two weeks ago, I've lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 pounds.  I would like to lose about another 10 pounds of fat.  As healthy as whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole grain pasta are, they still can pack on the pounds - although it depends on who you ask.  Anyway, I might try laying off those after I run out.

I need to commit more to the muscle-building aspect of my training.  So far, the only thing muscle-wise that I'm really focused on is the Twenty Pullups Challenge, which is going well so far. 

Also, I haven't been noting this at all, but any time I've mentioned eating toast, it has been completely butter-less. 

Finally, before having a late lunch today (3:30PM), I was feeling a little light-headed.  Even after lunch, I didn't feel totally full.  I'm assuming this is the result of not eating enough calories combined with whatever I depleted in yesterday's longest run.  I need to be careful that I'm getting everything I need.  For the record, a number of the Blue Zoners - those stubborn centenarians who refuse to die - often stop eating when they are 80% full.  I just need to find the balance for myself.

Assuming my knees feel alright tomorrow, I'd like to hit another 6.1 miles. 

DISTANCE WALKED:    3.6 miles (with a few hard sprints)
WEIGH-IN:                   130.4 pounds
BREAKFAST:               1 scrambled egg with turmeric
                                   1 slice of whole wheat toast  
                                   A few almonds   
SNACK:                      1 cup of black, pour-over Ethiopian coffee                           
LUNCH:                       Diced chicken breast (fried in olive oil)
                                   Red pepper, white onion, garlic, shaved ginger root, turmeric
                                   Steamed spinach
                                   1/3 cup of Brown rice
                                   1 handful of blueberries
DINNER:                     Diced chicken breast fried in olive oil
                                  Steamed spinach
                                  Roughly 2 to 3 ouncs of whole grain pasta
                                  Red pepper, white onion, garlic, shaved ginger root, turmeric
                                  8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna

DAY 16

I ran 6.1 miles today - my farthest distance since I began training.  It felt good.  Also, I cracked the 120's today for the first time since training began.  Again, water brings it back into the 130's, but the trend has been downward - all systems go.

I read online about a great post-run meal.  It consists of 3 ounces of diced chicken breast, 1/3 cup of brown rice, red pepper, onion, garlic and shaved ginger root.  I added a 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric.  It tasted amazing!  Couldn't resist snapping a photo (see below). 

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (Week 1 of the Twenty Pullup Challenge)

DISTANCE RAN:    6.1 miles
WEIGH-IN:             129.8 pounds
BREAKFAST:         1 scrambled egg  
                              1 handful of blueberries                              
LUNCH:                  1 chicken breast with garlic spread
                              Steamed spinach
                              Brown rice

SNACK:                  2 handfuls of frozen blueberries
DINNER:                  Diced chicken breast fried in olive oil
                               Steamed spinach
                               Brown rice
                               Garlic
                               White onion
                                Red pepper
                                Shaved ginger root
                                Turmeric                               
                                8 ounces of Cannonau Di Sardegna

DAY 15

EXERCISES:
BICYCLE CRUNCHES (4 SETS OF 15 REPS)

DISTANCE WALKED:    Walked 2+ miles (giving my knees a break after yesterday)
SNACK:                   3 handfuls of blueberries
DINNER:                  2 chicken breasts 
                               Tiny bit of hummus
                               Steamed spinach with garlic
                               Cherry tomatoes and red onion                               
                               8 ounces of Cannonau di Sardegna (The Blue Zone wine from Sardinia)
LATE NIGHT SNACK: Cherry tomatoes, blueberries, almonds

DAY 14

After yesterday's 4.9 mile run, I woke up this morning incredibly hungry and thirsty.  I immediately ate a few handfuls of frozen blueberries, drank a bunch of water, and cooked myself 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of whole wheat toast.  I ran slightly further today.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Incidentally, I need to pick up some Cannonau di Sardegna.  It's a wine from Sardinia that supposedly has the highest concentration of flavenoids - the stuff that supposedly is life-extending.  Sardinia is a Blue Zone, and it's what they drink (about 8 ounces a day spread out over the entire day.)  Of course, their genetics definitely plays a role in their lifespan as their isolation led to a lot of inbreeding.  But if the research is to be believed, the impact of genetics in anyone's life amounts to about 20%.

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (Week 1 of the Twenty Pullup Challenge)

DISTANCE RAN:    5.2 miles (plus an additional 2 miles walked)
WEIGH-IN:             131 pounds
BREAKFAST:         A few handfuls of blueberries  
                              2 scrambled eggs                              
                              1 slice of whole wheat toast
LUNCH:                  Vegetarian chili (wheat something) with spaghetti
SNACK:                     Cookies 'n Cream milkshake
SNACK:                     Banana
DINNER:                  Black beans
                               Brown rice
                               Hummus                               
                               8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY 13

Today was a combination of falling off the wagon plus being awesome.

DISTANCE RAN:     4.9 miles (plus walked another 3 miles) 
WEIGH-IN:              131.6 pounds
LUNCH:                   Ribs and a slice of white bread fried in something (from the Serious BBQ truck 
                               parked outside Jimmy Kimmel's lot)
SNACK:                   Frozen blueberries
                               Cherry tomatoes
DINNER:                  5 chicken tacos from "Stir" (Taco Tuesdays)
                               3 glasses ("healthy" pours) of cabernet sauvignon

Day 12

The pounds aren't coming off as fast as I'd like.  The cheating (not all of which I've been faithful about documenting here) doesn't help.  Still, I'm thinking about upping the distance I run.  When I trained for a marathon and got up to one 10 mile run a week, the pounds dripped off.  Tomorrow, I'll try running 8 miles.  Perhaps I'll try a pattern of 8, 4, 8, 4, etc.

I began the 20 pullups challenge (http://twentypullups.com/the-training-program/) today.

Watched the Stage 1 Ninja Vegas Finals tonight - sorry to see Flip go out so early.

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (Week 1 of the Twenty Pullup Challenge)
BICYCLE CRUNCH (3 SETS OF 15 REPS)

DISTANCE RAN:    3.6 miles
WEIGH-IN:             134.8 pounds
BREAKFAST:         1 hardboiled egg  
                              1 handful of almonds                              
LUNCH:                  1 slice of whole wheat toast
                              1 scrambled egg
                              Steamed spinach
                              Frozen blueberries
DINNER:                  Black beans
                               Steamed spinach
                               Brown rice
                               Garlic
                               8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY 11

Fell off the wagon a bit again today - didn't get a chance to exercise and not the happiest with what I ate. Tomorrow will be different.

I should note that yesterday (Day 10), I ran 3.6 miles, and I did bicycle crunches (3 sets of 15 reps).  

I also drank about 5 pints of beer and had a chicken caesar salad as a late night snack, so that's not good.

LUNCH:                   Hummus, brown rice, side salad, grape leaves
DINNER:                  3 slices of pizza (2 pepperoni, 1 cheese) 
                               9 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY NINE

I would like to eventually go completely vegan, but it'll be important to keep an eye on my level of vitamin B-12.  It's the one thing that is very difficult to get from a plant-based diet.

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (3 SETS OF 5 REPS)
BICYCLE CRUNCH (3 SETS OF 15 REPS)

DISTANCE RAN:    3 miles (plus walked another 3 miles) 
WEIGH-IN:             130.8 pounds
BREAKFAST:         Banana (pre-breakfast snack)  
                              1 hardboiled egg

                              1 slice of whole wheat toast

                              1 handful of almonds
LUNCH:                  Organic Kale with kidney beans, peas, spinach, onions, rice
                              1 slice of whole wheat toast
                              Frozen blueberries
DINNER:                  2 slices of whole wheat toast
                               2 eggs fried in olive oil                              
                               8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY EIGHT

Thankful I had a chance to run today!  Also, read an interesting tip about weighing yourself before and after each workout to determine how much water you lost.  They recommend drinking 24 ounces of water for every pound lost.

Also, I read that you should NEVER eat kale that isn't organic.  It gets oversprayed and so the damage to your body outweighs the benefit.  Apparently, it's also true for strawberries (among other things).  So go organic!

DISTANCE RAN:    3.6 miles 
WEIGH-IN:             132 pounds
LUNCH:                  Organic Kale with chicken breast and garlic paste and brown rice
                              Frozen blueberries
DINNER:                 Organic Kale salad with kidney beans, spinach, peas, onions, etc.
                              1 hardboiled egg
                              1 handful of almonds
                              8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY SEVEN

Life got in the way of training today, so I was unable to exercise.  Boo.  In addition to the meals below, I also had an ice cream milk shake.  Definitely not what a ninja needs.

LUNCH:           Chicken breast, organic kale, sweet potatoes and green peas 
DINNER:          Chicken breast, organic kale, sweet potatoes and green peas.
                       8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY SIX

EXERCISES:
PULLUPS (15)

PRONE KNEE TO OPPOSITE ELBOW (3 SETS OF 10 REPS) 

PRONE KNEE TO OUTSIDE SAME ELBOW (3 SETS OF 10 REPS) 

PUSHUPS (10)

LUNCH:   Vegan Ethiopiean yellow split pea stew

               Boiled sweet potato and peas

               Sauteed organic kale and garlic

DINNER:  Hamburger and fries (feel guilty about it)
               2 pints of Green Flash IPA

DAY FIVE

Took off Day Four to recover some more from Friday's freerunning lesson.  Today, I resumed training.  The pounds seem to be dripping off, but in reality, this is mostly water - which I'll gain back in 15 minutes after I down a gallon of the wonderful stuff.

DISTANCE RAN:    3.6 miles (plus walked an additional 2 miles)
WEIGH-IN:             132 pounds
LUNCH:                  Kale salad with chicken breast and garlic paste
DINNER:                 Salad with kale, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, brown rice, etc.
                              8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

DAY THREE

Ow.  Woke up feeling incredibly sore in my arms, legs and shoulders.  It's either from yesterday's workout or a dozen guys beat me up in my sleep.

LUNCH:      Chicken, brown rice, side salad, hummus
DINNER:    

DAY TWO

Today I had a private lesson with David Rodriguez (AKA "Flip" on "American Ninja Warrior") @ Tempest Freerunning Academy.  When it comes to this stuff, he's basically Yoda.  Super cool guy.  He makes it all look so much easier than it is.  It was a real workout - there's SO much to learn!

Worked on a number of vaults: Safety Vault, Speed Vault, Kong Vault, etc.

Did some wall-runs and climb-ups.

Warped Wall
I made a few attempts at the Warped Wall - got within a foot and a half of the top (I know from the chalky handprint I left behind.)  I realize now that the biggest obstacle with the Warped Wall is letting go of the fear of falling backwards and killing yourself.

Salmon Ladder
I did a pullup or two from it, but made no attempt to climb it.  Need to work on pullups where you clap your hands at the top.

LUNCH:          Salad (kale, edamame, peas, fava beans, broccoli, tomatoes, red onions, etc.)
                      Side of hummus.
DINNER:         1 and a 1/2 bratwurst
                      2 pints of beer

DAY ONE

Yesterday... Thursday, August 22, 2013

Committed to training for "American Ninja Warrior"!  Have actually been inching towards this for awhile, but for the sake of this blog, let's pretend I decided yesterday.

Bought an iShuffle to listen to motivating tunes while I run.

Bought new sneakers to wear for tomorrow's (technically today's) private lesson at Tempest Freerunning Academy.  

DISTANCE RAN:     3.6

WEIGH-IN:              135.2 pounds

BREAKFAST:          N/A

LUNCH:                  Chicken leg and thigh with garlic paste.  

                              Glass of pineapple juice.

DINNER:                 Salad (kale, edamame, peas, fava beans, broccoli, tomatoes, red onions, etc.)

                              Side of hummus.
                              8 ounces of cabernet sauvignon

                              1 beer