Sweating at Sunrise

I started "running" a week ago.

When I went to the orthopedic doctor the Tuesday after I broke my leg, he talked about in about 8 weeks I could probably start on the elliptical for a few minutes a day and gradually work towards running in about 12. Imagine my surprise when he told me that I could run. He did tell me to start gradually and slowly work my way back, and that is what I have been doing.

So I devised my own rehab plan starting with a conservative 3 minute walk and 1 minute run.

But, since I know misery loves company, I asked fellow Idiot Brandt if we wanted to join me for some sunrise sweating. Brandt, being the great friend that he is decided that he would make the sacrifice of an hour sleep to meet me at the park at 6.

Monday morning comes, and we start at it. It was weird. Physically the leg felt OK, but mentally I kept thinking that each time my foot hit the path, it was going to snap. One interval, two, then three and my leg is still in one piece. Wow, I can do this. I can run. I think we averaged in the high 14's a mile but that was OK. Brandt did great. I was so proud of him!

We ran Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri together. Seeing the same early risers at about the same place on the trail each morning. There is older woman walking golden retriever, young Asian man who runs alone in one direction and then we cross paths again while he is walking with about 5 ladies. And the young guy with 6 foot legs who makes it look easy.

Brandt and I keep trucking along. This week we start a 2:30 walk and 1:30 run. Small steps still get to the same destination.

Getting It Any Way You Can

-Haley

Many months ago I had seen a segment on the Today show about more Americans being fat and lazy (of course) and one man's idea to do something about it. He made a treadmill desk for people to walk on while at work. Brilliant! While not a quick-fix to lose weight, it gets people off their bottoms and doing what we were made to do: walk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbMTrboKbwU

I loved this idea, but did not love the price tag. First, I didn't have a treadmill and then I didn't want to spend $400-500 on the desk part! You're looking at 2-3 Ironman race entries for the price of both of those! Or many car payments...whatever.

Now that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel regarding my injury, I decided I was bored enough to start looking at Craigslist for used treadmills. Inspired by my friend Jess who made her own with a new treadmill, cardboard and old wood flooring, I knew I could do something similar. I came across a gem of a treadmill for $120 being sold by a militar

y family moving from Ft. Belvoir to whoknowswhere. I went to look at it and found it was clean, free of dust, yet surprisingly unused! SCORE!

Since I can't really walk still, I wasn't in a rush to get this thing set up. I had time so I was browsing Craigslist for several days looking in the "free" section for some kind of base to absorb the vibration and an old shelf or piece of furniture someone was leaving on the curb. It wasn't happening, so I decided to hit Home Depot. I found a very cheap shelf and a piece of insulation foam. Total: about $7.

Got home so excited about my fiscally responsible purchases (well, in the athlete world I guess) I got to work. I had the treadmill opened (it is a fold-up one) and without measuring cut the foam perfectly and I guessed the right size with the shelf!

I can't remember the last time I've been so proud of myself. (Yeah, forget keeping a good attitude about being injured, getting sent home from Iraq, or even joining the military...pashaw! This is way better.)

So, while I can barely walk 250-400meters, it's better than where I was a month ago when I couldn't even do that much. Progress...it's slow, but coming. I did walk 5min. on the treadmill last night (sssshhhh, don't tell my Dr!) and while it was uncomfortable, I did it without falling or doubling over in pain. One step at a time...one step at a time.

While I don't expect this to be "exercise" it is something healthier than sitting at my desk when I goof off on the internet. In the spring and next year, this is where I will do schoolwork. In fact, I'm standing on it while typing this post and having my morning coffee and perusing the new Pottery Barn catalog.

With CrossFit, walking and some biking...I will be an Ironman.

I'm Bored

I miss running. There, I said it. I never thought I would. What is happening to me?

On May 22nd, I ran 6.22 miles from my house to the Sports Park and back. That was the last time I ran. The next Saturday, the "incident" which has sidelined me. I use to HATE running. I mean really hate it. It hurt. I am not built to be a runner. I don't have long thin legs that move smoothly. I plod along.

But something happened. I actually started to enjoy running. I looked forward to the long runs on Saturday mornings. I still plodded, but a little faster. It didn't hurt as much.

The saying that you don't know what you've got til it's gone rings true. Yes, I will run again. Hope that in a week I can start on the elliptical, but I miss it.

I'm bored on the trainer. Swimming...meh!

I want to run. DO YOU HEAR THAT WORLD...I WANT TO RUN!

You have to know where you are to know how to get where you want to be.

Fail to plan, plan to fail. Yes its cliche, but oh so true. Especially as it relates to Ironman.
I've needed goals in triathlon for the last 2 years. I've got one now. Actually I've a bunch of little ones that when executed will add up to the big one.

Goal #1 met. Its been a good consistent training week for me. Nothing to speak of in the way of volume, but reliable, and consistent activity. I've been taking inventory so to speak for the last few weeks. I've run a little, I've ridden a little, but still haven't swam. Might today.

I've also been taking the "real" inventory.......the scale inventory. Much to my surprise, I am 26lbs heavier than when I toed the line at IMAZ. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy about it, but in reality, 26 is better than I had expected. Enter goal #2. I used to always look at a day of eating as a series of decisions. 6 to be specific. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and the 3 times after each. No single decision can really wreck your day. Make more good decisions, than bad over the course of the day, and you are golden. Goal #2 was also been achieved for the last 2 weeks. Packing lunches for work, and lots of snacks to graze on during the day, has kept my visits to the bad place limited to coffee only.

My goals every week are to consistently train, and to eat well. Consistently means at least 6 days of training a week. Eating well means eating good quality foods, and being happy with my eating decisions daily.

When I put the next 45 or so weeks of goals in the win column, I win. I'll be lighter, stronger, and healthier than I was in April08 at IMAZ.

I know where I am, I know where I want to be, and now I know what its going to take to get there.

I can do this, I will do this. Get your popcorn folks. This is gonna be good.

Trying to do the right thing

I like watching documentaries. I also know that you have to take them with a grain of salt. Like most things, they are skewed to the side of the person making the film. Michael Moore is a hero or villain depending on which side of the aisle you are on. But regardless, I like watching documentaries. And whether I agree with the point of view of the filmmaker or not, I usually learn something.

Thanks to my new found obsession known as Netflix, I have watched several during my trainer rides. The one that really struck me was "Food Inc.". If you have not had the opportunity to see it, I highly recommend it. Here is a link to the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

It really got us thinking. Thinking about what we eat. We don't eat too bad. We used to live on processed food. Frozen everything. We have gotten much better, but we could still improve.

The thing that got me most about the movie was the way animals are "farmed" for our consumption. Cows, which are herbivores are fed corn, steroids and antibiotics to fatten them up fast so they can end up in the supermarket. So we started looking around for some local farms to buy some meat.

Tomorrow I am going to have my first steak from a grass-fed cow. One of our local farmers market carries it from a farm in Decateur. If it's good, we may be making a trip up there to stock up.

Also bought some beautiful melons and berries from the farmers market. Support the local guys.

CrossFit training plan begins

So I, Haley, will be starting my 'training' today with my CrossFit plan. I'll be joining a new CrossFit gym about a mile from my house (hopefully one day I can ride my bike or *gasp* run there) today. I'm going in for my assessment to see what I am able to do. The coach is one that I worked with before at my old gym, who started her own gym while I was in Iraq. Thankfully, she has military experiencee and is excited to help me in any way she can. So, she will design some workouts that I can do with my gimp leg. I'll be doing modified workouts and mostly upper body exercises until I'm cleared for full workouts.

Also this week I will be starting physical therapy. It'll be an aggressive regimen of 2-3 times a week for about a month, then tapering off as I show strength gains. Right now the concern is muscle imbalance due to 3 months of being on crutches. I also have some painful spasms in my groin from the muscles being "upset" with the femur break (per the Dr.).

I've been swimming still; not as much as I like as I was busy and sick for part of the weekend. I also am finding joy in harassing Marcy to get to the pool or ride her bike. I don't know why she's putting this off. My teammates need to get to that starting line, we're in this together!

I am excited to get back to it!

Happy 4th of July

Today, while you are enjoying time spent with friends and family, think about those both overseas and right here who are working to protect your freedom.

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty." John F. Kennedy.

Thank you all.

It's All About the Worm

Before I get side-tracked, does anyone happen to have the protein/fat/carb ratios for worms? No? Seriously? Well, fine then...I'll move on to the point of the post.

As Marcy indicated when this blog was set up, I am the village idiot who is best described as a busy family man. When you get right down to the nuts and bolts of things, my family comes first...sometimes to a fault. Last night was a very clear reminder of this, and it also provided somewhat of an epiphany for me.

It is time for me to start focusing on the worms...figuratively speaking, anyway.

We've all heard it a thousand times in our lives. "The early bird catches the worm." This rings especially true if you are a 40-year-old husband, and father of three very active kiddos. From the 2-year-old who raced into the garage the minute I pulled in last night, desperate to get some seat time in the Camaro (this kid obviously "gets it" when it comes to cars) , to the wife who had a very healthy and delicious dinner on the table and ready to go (love you my dear), to the ten year old who had cheer practice from seven until nine (5, 6, 7, 8...), to the young teen who absolutely HAD to see Eclipse for the second time in three nights (why is there such a fascination with vampires and werewolves, anyway?). They are all very dear to me, and they are all essentially competing for my time and attention. This is something I cannot ever forget.

By the time the family circus was all sorted out, my plans to go for a slog last night were shot...it was 10 p.m. and I was exhausted. I should have woken up early yesterday morning and done the workout before everyone was awake.

The early bird catches the worm

The bottom line is this...ironman training takes balance. My dear friends and ironman veterans Tom and Tobin manage to balance busy families, careers, and ironman training with near perfection, and without going insane. I can do this too, it just means a little earlier bedtime, and a little bit of pre-dawn motivation.

If you see me early one morning, on my hands and knees and tugging with my teeth at a long stringy object that seems to be firmly anchored in the soil beneath me, do not fear. I have found my balance. -Brandt