Out and Back

A great out and back run route today!

Tough Mudder Indiana: Proud and Stupid

Back in August it seemed like it was a good idea to put a challenge in front of me. Something to aim for.  Some carrot to dangle to keep me motivated to maintain a sound diet and consistent workout regiment. Being a part of Crossfit Carmel means being immersed in a community of like-minded folks. So when a few fellow workout buddies signed up for the 2011 Indiana Tough Mudder, the carrot dangled. Now that the experience is behind me, several thoughts continue to swim through my mind.

Training for the Tough Mudder was simple. Crossfit. It's the perfect combination of endurance, weight training, body weight, cardio, and mental training. While I've listened to my fellow gym buddies discuss how Crossfit Endurance is all that is needed to train for longer distances, and while two fellow workout pals solely used Crossfit as their means for their first Ironman, I continued to have my doubts pinning my thoughts to my 6'2", 240 lbs. frame. "What if....." consumed me. But I trusted what I was told and my gut.

Those who know me clearly know I'm a bit consumed with planning at times. While I want to know directions, departure time, what to wear, where to park, etc., this event was different. I did not take much time to think about the course length, the crazy amount of obstacles, or the weather conditions until the week of the event. For that, I'm glad, because I may have quit before I started.

Plan and simple: The Tough Mudder is NO JOKE. But in the back of my mind I must admit I thought, "They make those videos to intimidate you. There is no way it's all that." Ha! There is not enough room in cyberspace to adequately share what was all entailed. Here's the course map.  You decide. 

Thirty of us all set out on this 40 degree day with a windchill in the 30's and 20's at time. The plan was that we were all to stay together in packs. No one gets left behind. Everyone finishes.  When I said this was no joke, I was not kidding. This realization was never more evident than when the mood shift of all my teammates smacked me in the face harder than the wind that was whipping at my cheeks. Our group went from laughing and tossing a football while running, to a more solemn, introspective quietness. I could hear others thinking, "What have we really gotten ourselves into?" But no one dared say it. I kept thinking, "Now come on. We are not climbing Everest." I was thinking, "Maybe some of my friends were right. Maybe I am stupid. Why WOULD I want to do such a thing?" And as quickly as I asked myself, I answered. "Because it's there. Because I can learn from this. Because I want to see how far I can push myself. Because I can."

And so roughly 4 miles in and with only 25% of the course behind us, two of our most fit athletes at the gym could not warm their bodies and had to call it a day. As I became a bit scared knowing these folks are physcial specimans of fitness, I wondered, doubted, and went through some serious mental ping pong. I was scared I'd get stuck under muddy water. I was worried I might twist an ankle and not be able to make it to the end. I was fearful of hypothermia. I hate, hate, hate being cold and there was no alternative on this day.  Cold was normal. At one point I found myself alone for about 30 minutes wondering how I got separated from my team, but I had to keep my body moving through the course as I felt my quads, hip flexors, and calf muscles tightening up. It was at this point where I was trying to fight off fear. I struck up a conversation with a 48 year old, grey haired guy like me for a bit. He wished me good luck and we separated as I traversed down a steep hill with mud so caked on my shoes you could not really make out that I was even wearing shoes. At the bottom of the hill I saw a pack of red shirts just like mine and had caught up to a group of my teammates. I discovered I was with a middle pack. There were a handful ahead of them and a few behind, so our plan was still intact. No one finishes alone.

I stuck with this group for about two more hours. The mood of the group fluctuated between collegial encouragement, to silent fortitude. We all knew what we were thinking, but we made the most of it. And somehow with about 3 miles left, my teammate Derek and I found ourselves alone the rest of the way. Our commitment: Attempt every obstacle. Keep moving. Be positive. Derek was great. He did not mind that I could no longer run for long periods of time. My right hip flexor was shot and my right calf was cramping. We crawled face down in mud. We got through waste deep water, and we waited 20 minutes to get across a 3 inch wood plank over a pool of freezing waste deep water. (We both made it half way until we dove in.) And when we saw the finish line, we got a bit giddy. Derek, who got separated from his wife on the course three hours earlier kicked it into another gear. We finised together.

Here's what I took from this experience:

Part of this was indeed stupid.

Being pushed to my limits only makes me stronger.

Teamwork and togetherness can make anything happen.

I now know what being uncomfortable really feels like.

I'm in the best shape of my life:  I never questioned my physical condition.

Crossfit and proper eating prepared me for this.

I'm more mentally strong than I allowed myself to think. 

I'm just as happy for and proud of my teammates as I am of myself for doing this.
I now believe in the Tough Mudder Pledge 

In and Out of the Rut

A few posts ago I mentioned a new movie I discovered titled, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  If you have not had a chance to see it, it's super.  It's a documentary about two guys who transform their lives after being incredibly unhealthy and obese.  A major theme of the movie is Reboot Your Life which has become a trademarked product.  Check it out.  I'm always up for another inspirational movie, quote, book, story, whatever.  It keeps things fresh and helps me avoid ruts.  However, I've found myself in a new rut.

Over a year ago, I was nearly 270 lbs. again.  You can see what I mean in the My Progress page.  I spent the year before that running a few half marathons, achieving my personal record with a 2:07 at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon.  That was two years ago.  Last summer, I was down and out.  I'd run half marathons.  I'd tackled the Men's Health Urbanathlon in Chicago.  I'd been with personal trainers, belonged to every globo gym in a 5 mile radius of my house.  Then I found Crossfit.  It was what I was looking for.  It challenged me in every area of my health and fitness.  It pushed me to my limits and it instantly gave me access to a community of like-minded people.  However, arguably the most important aspect of my "new community of like minded people" was the access to others who were concerned with eating healthy.......permanently........forever.  I figured, if I'm going to push myself this hard, then I'm not going to ruin it with my food choices.  After all, finishing a Crossfit workout provides the same feeling of accomplishment as crossing the finish line at a race.  Only it happens several times per week.

So I have not hit the pavement to really run in a year.  A WHOLE YEAR!  While I sometimes am in shock that I let that much time go by, I justify it by saying, "Look what you've done with your body, your strength, endurance, and dietary habits."

"OK, OK," I say to myself.  "Give yourself a break.  Why do it if you are getting the results you have been looking for your whole life?"  The answer I come back to is...."I want to use my new-found strength and endurance gains and apply it to something."  Sounds fair, right?  But I'm not sure I want a typical road race.  I want a challenge.  Something that will test me beyond just running, running, running.  I think I found the answer.  I've registered for the following........

The Super Spartan Race:  An 8 mile course with crazy, challenging obstacles that will challenge my running, strength and endurance.  While there are races closer to home, this one is two miles from my family on Staten Island, NY and will give me something for which to aim.  It will force me to ramp up my running milage and make me learn to apply my Crossfit training to running/endurance work.  More importantly, it will force me to focus on a part of my diet I've not paid a ton of attention to:  body fat content.  I've spent a lot of time concerned with pounds and portion control, but I think to get to where I'd like to be, I'd prefer to be a bit more lean than I am.  

Out of the rut I come.  Stay tuned....

P.S.  If you haven't had a chance to check out the new cSpinHealthy Facebook page, head over there.  I'd love it if you'd "like it".  

Just Keep Moving Forward

It was a busy week in our house.  We are an interfaith family, Jewish and Methodist.  Palm Sunday and Passover (and my 39th bday) packed together.  We are cooking, preparing, and working in two soccer games this weekend.  But.......this was the Sunday I was going to run alongside Dean Karnazes, The Ultramarathon Man.  If you read my post a few months ago, you know Dean is running across the United States to raise money and awareness for Action for Healthy Kids, an organization devoted to kids' health and undernourishment in our country and specifically in our schools.  So this was right in my wheelhouse!!!

My busy weekend was interrupted by a 5:15 a.m alarm clock for a chance to meet this guy who I  have read about, followed on Twitter, and have admired not only for his incredible physical and emotional strength, but because about the manner by which he goes about it.  Here's a guy who has run a marathon at the South Pole!  Here's a guy who has finished in the Top 5 at the Badwater Ultramarathon, a grueling 135 miles through Death Valley culminating at Mount Whitney....IN JULY! (you must read about this race!) Here's a guy who has run 50 marathons in 50 days across 50 states!  

This guy is pretty unbelievable.  And here's a guy who is inspiring people to move more and eat well.  I can't argue with that.  Here's a short clip about he is.....

So yesterday, my life long friend, Randy and I took off to run 2.5 miles around the Indianapolis Speedway with Dean as he passed through town.  He got here the day before after a 40 mile day, woke up at 5:15 a.m. to run 2.5 with Randy and me and roughly 300 others on a 35 degree Palm Sunday morning.  

Here's a few moments from yesterday....

The world famous speedway pagoda with Dean's transportation services.

Dean's crew in one of his two custom buses. (Kelly Ripa was not there!)  :(

 Grumpy and cold Good Morning America production guys.  We were on live!

My only close up of Dean to get an idea of how small his is and how fit he looks!

Dean finishing up.  I beat him!  Ha!

So what this guy does in incomprehensible to the vast majority of the population, but I see this guy as an opportunity to learn more about my own health and fitness which is what I believe he is all about.  While some would view Dean Karnazes as egotistical, I choose to see him as something else:  humble, incredible, inspiring, and real.  

Some observations from my experience:

1.  This guy eats 8,000 to 10,000 calories PER DAY when he is doing this stuff.  And he is a tiny and incredibly ripped/athletic man.  Proof in the pudding that you are what you eat!

2.  He does not worry about pacing with this kind of experience.  His goal is to finish.  He said, "As long as I am moving forward, I don't care if I'm doing a 9 minute or 12 minute mile."  Something to consider in my own training whether it running, Crossfit, a sprint triathlon, or swimming.

3.  This guy has major sponsors, Live with Regis and Kelly, books, a team of doctors, nutritionists, a sport psychologist, two running buddies, and much more following him.  He was interviewed live in front of us on Good Morning America.  With all of this, he still stopped to not only sign autographs, but look people in the eye, smile, talk, engage in conversation, ask questions of complete strangers, cheer on others, and just exude an incredible positive energy while being real about it.  After all, he puts his shoes on the same way you and I do every morning.  This energy was contagious and something I think is often overlooked by many.  While a produced piece of media, I think this video demonstrates this about Karnazes very well...

4.  This experience rekindled my desire to continue running, something I've put on the back burner since discovering Crossfit.  I've put a goal out there before to run a sub two hour half marathon, and running around the world famous oval today with a life long friend may have lit that spark again.  

5.  Patience is a tough concept.  Thinking about what Karnazes does in order to better me is tough given what his body is capable of versus mine.  However, I believe the principles he follows can comparatively transfer to my life or anyone's for that matter.  My point?  I need to be patient with my training, my expectations, and my overall fitness goals.  There should be no rush to achieve as long as I'm doing the same thing Dean is doing on his run across America:  

Just keep moving forward!!!

Baby Steps

This poster hangs in my office.  By day, I'm a school counselor, working with kids and families to help solve their problems....to get them to arrive at their own answers for themselves, and give them the motivation to do so.  

By night, I'm a dad and a husband and I try to model such a positive attitude to my kids.    

The other part of me is passionate about eating well and keeping fit.  I say PASSIONATE because I'm not obsessed about it.  While I think about it a lot, I have my ups and downs.  I ebb and flow like everyone else.  I think the difference is, I thoroughly enjoy working out.  I enjoy just about everything about it.  And who doesn't love eating?  (Those who need a counselor is the right answer.)  So because of this, I come to my point before I digress too much......

I've been injured as you may have read in prior posts.  As I fight through this injury, I have found myself craving foods I normally do not eat much of anymore:  chips, cheese, sweets, Chipotle!!!  I've also had a tough time accepting that I can not run right for now.  I've struggled with not being able to do the prescribed weights, movements, etc. of my Crossfit workouts.  For instance, yesterday.......The workout called for the following:

5K run

100 kettlebell swings.  

I can't run yet.  Grrrr!!!  So I took to a 5K row instead.  I can accept that.  But I usually swing a 50 lb. kettlebell.  Lin, the coach and owner of Crossfit Carmel says, "Dude.....swing a 35 lb. kettlebell.  You don't want to tweak that groin any more."  Stubborn me goes over the 44 lb. kettlebell and all seemed well.  Lin, being the great coach that he is says, "Dude....trust me."

And so I did this....

  

Low and behold............28 minutes later............I felt like.......

Well.....maybe not so patriotic, but it was a GREAT WORKOUT and it wasn't what was prescribed, called for or the RX for the day as is the Crossfit jargon.  But it was MY WORKOUT.  So after three weeks of an injury that isn't going away any time soon, I've learned the following:

--Focusing on eating is paramount no matter what I do for a workout.

--It's MY workout.  Focus on me and not keeping up with or beating someone else. 

--Injury is a part of life.  Letting things heal will only lead to a healthier life.  

--Good coaching is undervalued, overlooked, and not appreciated enough.  

--Listening to those I trust is very important and often taken for granted.

And the most important thing I've learned through this injury:  

Staying balanced does not just come to me.  I have to work at it and it takes baby steps!

Born to Run....

He's off an running.....75 days across the United States by foot raising money for Action for Healthy Kids.

I'll be joining Dean when he passes through Indianapolis on April 17th for a short 5K stint of his amazing run/fundraiser.  

Please consider going to my fundraising page and making a donation to help Action for Healthy Kids, a non profit fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment.

Running Across the United States

It's almost Spring and the snow and ice have both melted.  Indiana saw temps in the 50's the past week which was a huge motivator for me.  I'd like to thank all the friends and co-workers who have shared their story with me so far.  If anything, you've been a big inspiration to me as I continue to need smacked around to stay on track.  

It's been a tough week for me as I suffered a pretty significant groin injury playing indoor soccer last weekend.  It was stupid of me to go out as hard as I did with little stretching, and the result is being pretty immobile for a week.  A few chiropractic adjustments and tons of fish oil later, and I hope to be back to working out later this week.  I don't think I want to rush this part of my body, huh?!

So I became a bit dejected over the week.  I've let a few "indulgences" slip into my diet.  Work has been a bit stressful at times, and I've caught myself straying from my focused path prior to being injured.

ENTER:  A new purpose.  I've mentioned Dean Karnazes, the ultramarathon runner before.  He's something else.  Call it what you want, but in my book this guy has put running and wellness on the map.  Currently, he is running ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA to raise money for a huge, HUGE cause.

Check out the info. here.....

So I've decided to join him for a measly 5K stint in Indianapolis on April 17th.  The time and location are to be determined, so I'll keep you posted.  However and MORE IMPORTANTLY.....My goal right now is to raise AT LEAST $1,000 for Action for Healthy Kids.  This organization helps raise money to help fight childhood obesity and undernourishment, something I believe is a crisis in our country.  I sure hope you would consider donating to the cause.  As many of you know, I don't do these kids of things half-assed, so expect more posts to come.

You can get straight to my donation page by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

This is exactly the kind of thing I needed at this point in the year and at this point in my path to remaining healthy throughout the winter months.  It's hard!!!!  But.....finding little things like this helps re-energize me to getting back on track.

One Guy's Take on Getting Fit

Today's post comes from a colleague and friend of mine.  Joel grew up an athlete, wrestling being his primary sport of choice.  I came to know him a few years ago as he and a couple of other colleagues would ask me to join them on their weekend runs.  HA!  Me?  Run with YOU guys?!?!  You guys are half my size, elite, and marathon runners.  But for some reason, I went one day.  I learned that it's not about the fact that I can't keep the same pace as him/them.  It's the camaraderie that comes with the company.  I quickly realized I had a lot to learn about running, something I thought there was not much to.  Wrooooooong!  And so, I came to know Joel as more than one of the best read and written people I've ever met.  I found someone from whom I could learn.  We've run a handful of races together....well.....we've driven to a handful of races together.  Nonetheless, during the drives and water cooler chats, I came to realize that Joel had to work to get where he is much like all of us out there.  And so here's his take on how he lost a significant amount of weight, began eating right, and how he has sustained it.....years later.  I hope you can glean something from his experience and apply it to yours no matter where you are in your journey.  So........enjoy.

Getting Fit According to Joel

As I was preparing to step to the starting line of my very first 5k race, I saw a former teacher and coach from my high school.  He looked skeptically at me in my shorts and t-shirt on that hot June morning.  After we said our pleasantries to one another, he called me out, “I never thought I’d see you at a run. You hated running in school.”  This was a fact I couldn’t dispute.

I was a natural athlete in school.  It came pretty easy for me, but I certainly didn’t do much to go above and beyond when it came to conditioning.  After school, like many others, I put athletics behind me.  I went to college, became overweight, started working, became more overweight, overscheduled myself, became even more overweight.  I fell into the same trap that many do.  I had a million and five excuses for not trimming down and not exercising.  I was too busy with work.  I was busy at home starting a family.  It’s no lie.  I was busy.  But that wasn’t really why I wasn’t exercising.  The truth was that it was too damn hard, and I just didn’t want to do something that was hard.  Work was hard.  Being a good husband was hard.  Becoming a father was hard.  Why should I do something for recreation that is hard? On the other hand, lounging is easy.  Watching TV is easy.  Reading a book or magazine was easy.  I deserve a little down time.  That was my reasoning.  

Eventually this reasoning collapsed, and I became an avid runner.  Why?  That’s not an easy question to answer.  I find myself sometimes telling people that it was easy for me.  I just decided to lose weight and get fit and went and did it.  That’s not really the complete truth.  It wasn’t so much flipping a switch as it was flipping several switches over time until the last switch got flipped, and I just went out and got busy.

I had tried several times to establish an exercise routine and slim down.  I failed.  Many times.  The thing that finally made the difference for me was changing my focus.  All of my failed attempts started with my desire to lose weight.  I would lose some weight, but after a short time I would lose focus and return to my old ways.  What finally worked for me was to change my goal.  When I dropped from 235 down to 170, my focus wasn’t on losing weight.  I had decided that I wanted to be a runner.  I wanted to be a hiker.  I wanted to be a rock climber, and a skier, and a kayaker.  I wanted to have a life outdoors.  I decided I couldn’t do this at the level I wanted until I got in better shape.  So, that is what I did.

My exercise taught me about my diet.  I found that the more I ate the less I wanted to work out.  Also the more I ate the harder the workout was to finish.  I listened to my body, and it didn’t disappoint me.  For a while I became a little too overzealous.  My mantra became, “the hungry lion hunts best.”  I’ve mellowed over time, but I still try to listen closely to what my body is telling me.  I still try to moderate everything.  I skip the soda and the fast food (most of the time), but I don’t feel like I miss anything.  I try to keep my breakfasts and lunches very regular, so my dinners can be very large and filling.    

I found out a lot about myself by making the commitment to the daily practice of exercise.  The first thing I learned was that I missed being an athlete.  When I started running regularly, it had been over a decade since I had considered myself an athlete.  I didn’t realize how much I missed it.  I love the daily practice of being a runner.  I also learned that I really love doing something that is hard.  And I love it because it is hard.  Because when I finish something that would leave others in a heap, I feel this huge rush of satisfaction that I’ve done what others wouldn’t or couldn’t.  Finally, I learned that I missed having time to talk with myself.  In our busy lives it’s easy to keep your nose down and keep working and forget to take time to listen to yourself.  I’m not a spiritual person, but I found that running is the closes thing that I’ve found to prayer that really works for me.  It’s a chance to be silent and listen to myself or just listen to the birds.  And that is worth all the sweat that I put into it. 

I didn’t have a response to my teacher at the start of that 5k, and I’m not sure I do now.  But after running a couple of marathons and countless races of all distances and terrains, all I can say is that I’ve fallen in love with running.  It has become an important part of how I define myself and how I see the world.  I’m getting ready to lace up now.  Maybe I’ll see you on the trail.  

Resolution Schmesolution

It's that time of year.  Everyone is going to lose weight.  Weight Watchers, Sugarbusters, The Zone Diet, gym memberships, no sweets, no this, cut that......

 Resolutions schmezolutions!  They never last.  They often look like this.....

My solution to no resolution.....

Set a goal and go get it.  

Start slowly and plan.

Find a friend and partner up.

I'm going to start 2011 by continuing on my path.  I'm going to do the following:

1.  Go Paleo 100% for 30 days straight and integrate into my dietary habits full time afterwards:  No grains, no legumes, no sugar.  Eat all things in their natural state.  I'll email a friend doing the same thing after every meal to stay accountable, and he will do the same.  This worked great last time.  The goal here is to cleanse my system and hopefully find gains with my endurance and overall health.  Check out all the details of The Whole 30 plan I will follow.  It's part of The Whole 9 website, a great foundation for all things Paleo.  I'll be reporting regularly on what I eat, how I feel, and what I do working out, so be sure to follow and share your thoughts if you like.   

(I did this once before and you can read about it here as I was asked to share my thoughts with my Crossfit Carmel friends.) 

2.  Continue to use Crossfit as my main means of getting stronger, increasing my endurance, and losing weight until I reach my goal:  Be under 225 lbs.  (When I started Crossfit in June I was 260 lbs.  I've taken photos of my progress along the way.)  I have yet to find anything that works for me better than Crossfit.  It's pushes me to my limit and beyond each and every time.  While I realize it is not for everyone, I have seen huge gains in my strength, endurance, and confidence about myself fitness-wise.  It's the most humbling thing I've ever done athletically.  Again, it's not for everyone, but it is for me.

3.  Run another half marathon (I'm considering the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio.) and at least 1 sprint triathlon in 2011.  My PR for a half marathon is 2:07, however the Flying Pig is full of hills, so we'll see.  I have not run any long distances since starting Crossfit back in June.  I have all kinds of Crossfit goals.  Some of them I will share from time to time, however I've said all along that I want to use Crossfit as a means to do other stuff.  

So what will you do this year to stay healthy?  I'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to post a comment or email me at cspinhealthy@gmail.com

 

You deserve it!

Vibram Five Fingers

In my quest to become a better runner, I decided to take the Crossfit plunge back in June.  If you've read my blog or just know me in general, you will know that I'm quite addicted, enthused, engrossed to/with Crossfit.  However, as I got deeper into Crossfit, I have run less and less.  But I want to apply my gains w/Crossfit to running and get after my goal of a sub 2 hour half marathon at some point.  I also just want to become a better runner and stop suffering from so much pain when I train for distance races.

A handful of Crossfitters with whom I work out wear the Vibram Five Fingers shoes in hopes of becoming a more efficient runner.  As silly as these shoes look, everyone I respect who wears them swears by them.

I've taken the plunge. 

I'm hoping for the following:

• Stop heel striking.
• Stop pronating.
• Eliminate knee and lower back pain after training for long distance running.
• Become a more efficient runner.

Monday night will be my first workout with them, so stay tuned for a report of how things go.  

Superhuman or Supercrazy?

When I saw this on t.v. the other night it reminded me when I came across Dean Karnazes somehow a couple of years ago as I was training for a half marathon.  This guy is something else.  His nutrition is crazy and very non Paleo.  His endurance and drive is relentless, and his book Ultramarathon Man is a superior read for anyone interested in "mind over matter" stuff.  It's not just a "running book".  I am in awe of ultra-marathoners!