working out with andrew

2008-09-01T12:29:00.001-07:00

Wierd note

2008-08-19T20:19:00.001-07:00

12 days until the Nike Human race. I am super excited.

Whoa

2008-07-27T18:23:00.001-07:00

There is something to be said for a little bit of exercising in the evening. Though if you have lazed around all day like I have been doing it is a strange body change.

Feels good though.

4.24 miles today. Training for the Nike Human Race. It's going to be good.

I am entered into my first race

2008-07-15T07:34:00.001-07:00

There isn;t a lot of lead up time. Just 8 weeks until the Nike Human Race. I am in it though.

Looking forward to trying out my running skills against other people in my group. Also hoping to set a personal record. I am hoping that for the 10k I will be running at 49. But we shall see.

Running today

2008-06-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

A strange series today.

Timed sets of runs for a total distance of 6000 meters.

1st run: 400m 83 sec
2nd run: 600m 144 sec
3rd run: 400m 85 sec
4th run: 800m 183 sec
5th run: 400m 87 sec
6th run: 600m 165 sec
7th run: 400m 100 sec
8th run: 600m 173 sec
9th run: 800m 243 sec
10thrun: 400m 103 sec
11thrun: 800m 246sec

total distance 6000m or so.

My ipod said the distance was a bit less. So i probaly need to figure out the real distance. We shall see.

Back once again

2008-05-24T16:53:00.001-07:00

4.7 miles ran today.

30 pushups(balancing)

45 sit ups balanced

Checking out my Nike+

2008-04-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Blech. I only have 45 trophies. This sucks. I wanted to have 100 by the end of the year.

life=suck. I want to run.

Yoga = Hard

2008-04-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

I went to yoga this weekend in Abby. Yes, in Abbotsford BC. It was different. The room was colder and there were a lot less people there. Switch that to today. The room was 50C. Which is hot. Especially to be working out. But I am learning, we shall see how it goes...

Knee problems

2008-04-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

I tried running again this past Sunday, yeah, not such a good idea. Knee hurt and I felt kind of terrible. Sucks to be me. Need to go to Doctor.

I will have to update on the state of my injury after I get my referral.

NO post

2008-03-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

Yoga has been taking over my life. I have only been going to the gym once a week or so. Last week twice, I am hoping to correct that, and go to yoga almost every day this week. We shall see how it goes.

I have been taking bikram's yoga. An interesting and very hot affair. Learning about what lock your knee really means. Not hyper extension but putting your knee in a tree like position. With the standing leg straight and with the quadriceps

Also, I have been considering running again. We shall see about that one, though. I may need more time to heal.

Good luck this week everybody and exercise well.

Technorati Tags: happiness,joy,exercise

Hot Yoga - Bikram's

2008-02-28T21:48:00.001-08:00

Hot yoga is hard.

Yoga and over training

2008-02-25T19:27:00.001-08:00

I am so concerned about having a healthy body I have over trained. My knee is now injured and I am concerned about the other parts of my body that may be affected. I think the daily swimming is fine, fairly low impact, but I think I need to create a rotational type of "good" movements to help my legs and the rest of my body become par with each other. I think I will have to bring my runner's world cross training book with me and include some of the crossfit training stuff I have used before.

We shall see how this goes.

Another day of Yoga

2008-02-24T21:19:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, no Yoga. It is tough. Yoga is super tough. But I am learning. Slowly but surely I am learning. It looks like I may not be running for a long while. Like a real long while. A couple of months at least. Which is too bad for me. I think I have trained too hard over the last few months, without taking the required breaks I have needed to. We shall see if I can fix the problem, doing squats, swimming and running in the pool. We shall see how that all works out.

Yoga

2008-02-23T23:11:00.001-08:00

So, no running? I have a couple of huge fixes. For the next few weeks I will be doing squats and attending yoga classes.

Went for my first Bikrams session today. Amazing. Fun too...

tomorrow with steve.

Down for the count

2008-02-20T07:29:00.001-08:00

My knees hurt. I think i need to take a break from running for a few weeks. Sorry folks!

About running and Nike+

2008-02-17T19:30:00.001-08:00

Just to be clear. my experience with the Nike+ system so far has been excellent. I lost a run two weeks ago, a nine miler, so no big deal. This week, though, I had a run that I thought I would lose, an eighteen mile. I was a bit perturbed.

I tried to deal with it myself, first. Failing that, I checked the forums. Thank goodness for the forums. I found the phone number for tech support.

I called the support line, talked to Tara. She helped me through everything. All I had to do was rename the .tmp file to an xml file and sync. When it worked I swore in happiness: "Fucking eh!" Sometimes I am a little too Canadian.

Anyway, I was impressed by the level of customer service provided and I was pleased. Very pleased.

Technorati Tags: Nike+,Nike

Longest run, for me, ever

2008-02-16T17:08:00.001-08:00

There is not too much to be said beyond that. I have purchased a book on cross training. That way I can increase my speed and reduce injuries. Maybe hill running at night. One hour a day. That would probably increase my speed.

Technorati Tags: running,working out,swimming,exercise,happiness,joy,peace,meditation

Some challenges I am in

2008-02-10T18:28:00.001-08:00

See I am a busy little bee. And I am not winning all of the distance challenges!

Technorati Tags: nike+,working out,blessings,running,happiness

Long time to not say anything

2008-02-10T18:06:00.001-08:00

This week was a week of trying new things. I slept in on Thursday and in the evening I went to the gym to do a little cross training. It would seem like this is going to be the best thing I have ever decided to do. It adds a few little things to my routine that will, hopefully, keep me on my toes and have me moving more. Okay, maybe not moving more, but doing a wider variety of things. I also think I want to try a climbing class. That will certainly add to my overall health and strength.

It is through exercise, religion, and personal peace that my life is getting better. I am so glad for it. I am glad for everything that is coming my way and all that will happen over the next year.

Please note that I have lost a few runs to the powers of the iPod. We shall see how it goes from here.

Technorati Tags: working out,happiness,running

Weekends and a little rest

2008-02-04T19:35:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I had a little rest session. I ran only a short distance on Saturday, fully intending to run on Sunday and I decided not to. So I have a new intended schedule for the coming week. Monday through Friday will all be swim/run/gym days. One cross training day with no run. I think it will add a little spice to the whole endeavour.

The running thing is becoming less of a fanaticism thing, and more of something I just do. Although I am wondering how I will be able to drop my times to sub 9:00 miles. I am hoping the cross training will help.

Technorati Tags: healthy,happy,joyous,free,exercise,working out,peace,happiness

Cheer me on!

2008-02-03T00:15:00.001-08:00

Rest day

2008-01-31T20:24:00.001-08:00

Rested today. Nothing major

Running today

2008-01-29T20:38:00.001-08:00

Running in the snow is great! Really! This morning the snow was coming down hard. So much so that you could barely see the road in front of you. Beautiful. Initially the running was a bit difficult but as the run went on it got better and better. It helped that some person stopped in their tracks to tell me that "you are crazy." I kind of smiled at that. Certainly helps me with my dedication.

Today's workout was simply run, swim, stretching, push ups and sit ups. It was a nice workout, I felt excellent and the run felt good. There is much to be said for taking care of yourself. Though I think I may need to see the physician. Check out my other foot. I think my arch is unnecessarily in pain. A wee bit frustrating.

Technorati Tags: time,running,peace,joy,selfishness,growth

Sicky poo

2008-01-28T20:57:00.001-08:00

I have been kind of sick the last couple of days. I have been going for runs, followed by The runs. Not so good. Bad times had by all.

I should be making up for it in the morning. We shall see how I feel.

That is it. I ate way too much ~~junk~~ food today. I hope I burn it off soon.

Technorati Tags: exercise,peace,calming,joy,God,happiness,sick

Break days and feeling good

2008-01-24T23:09:00.001-08:00

I am not sure if anyone ever feels this way, I am sure I am not alone, but there is so much to be said for taking a break from the exercising. Working out is good, yet, everything in moderation. A bit of a catch phrase there, I know, still applicable. I feel a greater desire to do a little better, when I run. I want to push that much harder. Tonight, for example, I wanted to run at least ten miles. I ran a total of twelve. I am pleased with the progress I have made. We shall see if I can take on some "super" distances in the near future.

Technorati Tags: exercise,nike+,peace,time,patience,tolerance,learning,running,distance,"the zone"

No post? There is a reason

2008-01-24T08:09:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted for a bit. I have a reason. I have been taking a break. A couple of days off. I will be picking the exercising, and posting, up tonight. I plan on starting with an eight mile run and then moving on to the gym. It should be an interesting night.

The reason for the break?

My Dad told me: "Andrew, I think you need to take a break."

If my Dad tells me things like that, then I think it is time to take a break.

Until tonight, then.

Technorati Tags: exercise,working out,happiness,body,beach body,joy,peace,solitude

Time is of the essence

2008-01-22T07:32:00.001-08:00

As most people can see, I have been running a whole lot lately. A fantastic experience. I am enjoying it thoroughly. Though I am beginning to think that although distance is great, speed is important too.

So the next big deal for me is going to try and get my 1, 5, 10 miles time down between 7 and 8:30 per mile. That should be an interesting experience. I do some speed training now, lots of hills equals speed training, but I think I will start to take it more seriously.

We'll see how that goes.

Technorati Tags: training,speed,mileage,joy,exercise,tranquility,running,working out,peace of mind,peace

Yesterday!

2008-01-20T14:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I went on a wonderful 13 mile run. I made pretty good time on it. Felt good.

felt really good. We'll see how many more miles I can run this week.

This is crazy

2008-01-17T21:19:00.001-08:00

If you are wondering why there is no more extraneous run data on here it is because I figure if you are actually here to see how often I run then you can flip through the nike+ post above.

While running today I was thinking about if I am doing this too often. The whole working out thing. It feels, sometimes, as if I am doing it too much. I am still dropping weight since my old job location. I left there weighing in at 212 lbs and now I am at 203 lbs. I am pleased with this progress.

So there have been some genuine concerns brought up by my friends. For example, You seem to be running a lot, is it an addiction? In a way, maybe it is, it has increased the quality of my life. I am feeling better about myself and it is beginning to reflect in other ways. I am slowly building up a more positive self image, which is great, and I am finding ways to communicate with others in a positive way. Being able to share something positive and interesting about myself, which can begin a conversation.

Another concern has been: "Are you doing this for the wrong reasons?" Which reasons are those, you might ask? Well, for starters, an obsession of self, a narcissistic attitude and an attempt to ignore the world at large. Both are fair concerns, I have a lot of pride and I have a hard time hanging out with people. I am finding, though, that the pride is different now. Less on the physical me and more on the inside me.

Ignoring the world at large. That is me to a t. I like the solitude of running. I like the fact that you do not need a team of runners to run, you can just run. Still I long to belong to something bigger than me.

Running is doing good things to me. It is soothing and it has psychological healing properties. I like it.

Technorati Tags: exercise,working out,joy,peace,relaxing,self confidence,beauty,health

Holy Crap

2008-01-15T20:30:00.001-08:00

Okay I was going to post all of my runs. Lets just say I ran a pretty fair distance. 35.65 miles. Pretty far, at least for me. It means, though, that I am averaging about 8.9 miles per day, including today. My day off. Yep. I am doing okay in the running department. Something, though, that I am getting excited about is that I am slowly getting a beautifully shaped abdomen.

Crazy no?

Technorati Tags: nike+,running,joy,exercise,distance,peace of mind

Okay long time of no posting.

2008-01-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

No post still. Will try and post tomorrow with this weeks workouts.

Okay. Testing out the...

2008-01-13T22:12:00.001-08:00

Trying out my new UA gear. It is working out pretty good.

Will post the last few days workouts tomorrow. Promise.

2008-01-13T10:29:00.001-08:00

Crap man!

2008-01-10T21:06:00.001-08:00

There is so much to say about exercising angry. I added an extra 6.15 mile run to this weeks fun.

Started off the day with my usual:

Decent morning run.

Then I worked out at the gym:

Practiced legs only swimming 10 laps

Stretched 10 minutes

push ups: 30

pull ups: 15

sit ups(ball): 60

Then I ran home:

A pretty uneventful run. Except that there was complete soggy slush coverage this morning so it was pretty gross.

I was in a fight at work so I ran ultra far this evening.

Technorati Tags: exercise,working out,running,jogging,peace,distance,marathon,half marathon,mileage,nike+,runner+

Rest day

2008-01-09T07:59:00.001-08:00

Rest day

This day I was tired

2008-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

Woke up at the regular 4:50 this morning and I looked outside. Sigh...Snow. Snow is definitely not good. So I did a quick run:

This was to the gym.

At the gym I only did sixteen laps, stretched and then went home:

then this evening, I finished my day with:

And that is it. I will try and be in bed before 9:00 so we shall see how that goes...

There is too much, sometimes to do

2008-01-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

Before the gym today I ran:

I did a general workout after that. I hopped in the sauna first thing. Stayed there for about ten minutes, talked to Gary. I left my swimming goggles at home. Not so hot for me. At the gym I did:

Stretching: 15 minutes

Single leg squats: 30 each leg

Plank: 3 minutes

pushups: 30

Trunk twists: 40ish (I did this one until I was tired)

dips: 20

I followed this all up with my finishing run:

Technorati Tags: exercise,working out,running,fitness,peace,tranquility

Leaderboards

2008-01-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

C'mon BC

2008-01-07T08:05:00.001-08:00

Today!

2008-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

My workouts for today. I needed the extra run tonight though. I had a raspberry almond flan at ABC Country Time restaurant. Yep, I bet that was like worth a million calories.

So after worrying that I was overweight I read something interesting today.

"Most people who are athletic, tend to be overweight on the BMI scale."

A sigh of relief for me. I have been exercising futility for a while. Maybe I need to get used to being hungry for a while and just learn to relax. I guess I am just too hardworking...

Today

2008-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

So today I did the most boring run so far. It was windy and it was a tough run, against the wind. I think I need to get more clothes for running in the winter.

Sigh...

Life is so hard.

I think, though that I am going to start adding the nike+ code here. It makes everything appear more transparent.

Todays run:

So that is it. We shall see about tomorrow. I run with Scott, from Church, tomorrow.

See I have goals

2008-01-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

Blech

2008-01-04T23:43:00.000-08:00

Running is making me tired, but I am still up.

was going to take another day off today but...

I ran 6.48 miles, went to gym did:

stretching 10 minutes
40 lb presses: 45
push ups: 30
Bar jumps: 30
rowing: 5 minutes
torso turns: 15

finished it all up with a 3.42 mile run.

bar jumps: With a benching bar you jump. Legs hit your ass, and you land. Add weight if you are good at it. Good for building up calf muscles.

Working out as it becomes more than just "working out"

2008-01-03T18:07:00.001-08:00

I didn't really believe it. Not until recently.

I didn't believe that you could love exercising so much that it is a large portion of all you want to do. Crazy, no?

So yesterday I went for a few miles: 9.28 i think.

No swimming, I woke up late, just a quick jaunt to the gym, but last night...

I did a five miler, just under I think with weights. 10 or so pounds with intervals. Fun fun.

So this morning I was hella tired. Quick run to the gym, long way so about 4.4 miles and then followed up with a 2.5 miler. So a short day of running today. I do not think I will go out this evening but...we shall see.

Weight loss

2008-01-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I think I am becoming obsessed.

No exercise today. Second day off. Will get back to running and the gym tomorrow.

I am watching the "biggest loser."

Not necessarily a healthy thing for healthy people to watch...

Time to take a break

2007-12-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

Okay it is time to take a break. Just a day or so. Time to let myself heal.

Hopefully, as I learn to measure food, I will be adding that here too.

I think I have lost some of the weight I intended to.

Heart rate monitor

2007-12-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

Today I:

Ran 10.4 miles
went to gym:
10 minutes of stretching
20 push ups
14 pull ups
30 sit ups
20 dips

then I finished off with a quick two and a half miler.

decent distance but...I think I need to train better.

A heart rate monitor will help with that, I think...

100 mile milestone

2007-12-29T00:16:00.000-08:00

YAY me!

Quick one

2007-12-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

Ran 2.26 miles.

Adds up to another nine miles this week. Doing well. I am adding miles fast...

This morning

2007-12-27T07:59:00.001-08:00

Whoa!

I had a crazy morning. Got up at 4:50 in the A of M. Pretty early.

Party, Party! Yeah!

This morning I:

ran: 4.9 miles
swam: 20 lengths
push ups: 30
sit ups: 30
extensions: 30
dips: 30
pull ups: 21
side lifts: 60 not sure what these are called. when you have a weight in one arm and you lift with your side....?
stretching: 20 minutes
plank: 3 minutes
ran: 2.56 miles

that's it. The workout for today. I have felt a bit encouraged by the 9 miler. I will see if I can add some more distance in the next few weeks.

Holy Crap!

2007-12-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

It is working. Now that I have some goals on Nike+, I have involved myself in some challenges in general. I am very pleased. Impressed with myself.

Okay, so over Christmas I:

Dec 25: I ran 9.4 miles in 1:42:23
Dec 26: I ran 5.18 miles in 56:23
I ran 1.79 miles in 17:37

On another note, I am beginning to enjoy running more and more.

I am a bit sick right now, but running nonetheless. We shall see how it goes!

Keep exercising!

Crazy, Crazy

2007-12-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

All time personal best for distance and length of time running.

I ran for 9 + miles today. A time of one hour forty minutes. I am so pleased with that journey. I will be mapping it out on Nike+ later today, I think. If not no big deal.

On a side note:

Merry Christmas!

I will post more updates tomorrow. Everyone out there: Have a great Christmas Workout!

Merry Christmas!

Again I broke a personal best

2007-12-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

I ran yesterday for... one and a half miles, for a personal best on a mile. 8:23 secs. I am pretty pleased with the time. Though I was unable to run a super fast two miler after that. For the two miler I was clocking in at 8:56 per mile. Still...better than what I had been running.

Steve is back right now so I am looking forward to some hardcore workouts together.

yesterday quick run through:

Run: 1.5 miles
stretch: 20 minutes
sit ups not on fit ball: 45
sit ups with feet up in air: 30
Back extensions: 30
push ups: 45
pull ups: 17
dips: 25
run: 2 miles

so a very basic workout. The miles of running are adding up. I only need to complete a few more meters and I have received my first online trophy on nike+.

Exercising is going well.

Went to the guildford gym today

2007-12-22T23:33:00.000-08:00

So today I went to the Guildford gym. Indoor track, weight room and no pool. Not being able to swim was a bummer but I did get to try out my new shoes for long distance straight aways. I was running some good times. An all time best two miler @ 17:42. Works out to be a little under nine minutes per mile. Doing pretty good. I even got Lance Armstrong to wish me well. Pretty wicked.

workout today:
run 1 mile
miscellaneous stretching
fit ball sit ups: 30
back extensions: 30
pushups: 45
pull ups: 18
dips: 22
finished with 2 mile run.

good workout.

plan of attack over the next days

2007-12-21T21:01:00.000-08:00

I am so glad my being sick is over. Yep. Nothing like a healthy me. I went for three runs today. One, in the morning, the other two were to and from the gym. So maybe they don't count so much. First thing tomorrow is to run to the gym and work out.

Tonight.

plank 3 minutes
pushups 45
single leg squat 30 per leg.

runs: 1 mile in Nike Free (trying to train feet)
3.4 miles in Asics Shoes. Regular running shoes. Non training style.

Didn't eat so hot this week. Coming in at 212 lbs. A bit too much considering this week Monday I was in at 206 lbs. We shall see how the goal of hitting my mid BMI will go.

Runner + challenges:

A lot. Will post later with complete names...

My spot at Runner +

Sick again

2007-12-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is crap.

I hate being sick. I think I may have to go buy some drugs for my cold.

I will try to work out tomorrow no matter what. Maybe even a bit of running tonight. I haven't even left my house since I was sick. Sneezing and a bit of a head cold.

this sucks.

Sick today, no real updates

2007-12-18T20:04:00.001-08:00

So last night, very late, I went for my fastest run. Since I have started this whole wellness thing I have been doing all sorts of things.

I broke the nine minute mile time. I am well on my way to do a 5k. I am very excited. I think I might even have a better time if I have a more level running area. Right now, surrounding my house, there is a whole lot of hills.

The Nike Free 7.0 shoes are phenomenal. They are a God send. I am uncertain as to whether or not I can keep up the six day running and five day gym schedule I have been on the last few weeks. We shall see.

No working out today. I am sick. Going to go to bed pretty quick.

It didn't didn;t work as well as I had thought

2007-12-17T08:00:00.001-08:00

no goggles, so only treaded water for ten minutes straight.

3 minutes of plank --- completed
45 (per arm) kettle bell swings --- completed
45 push ups --- completed

I ran some of my best times ever today.

one run 9:59 /mile 1.78 miles
the other leg of run 11:16/mile 1.64 miles.

I should take this with a grain of salt.

what I ate today will also be posted later...

Hey check out

2007-12-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

Runners Plus. this is my runner plus profile. Pretty excited.

So excited.I

2007-12-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have been working out regularly since February, so...just under a year. By May I had hoped to be able to do handstand push ups. I think I will have to start practicing soon if I want to be able to do that by May...

Also, a lot of things are going crazy. I feel so excited to do almost everything today. I am feeling more energetic and am looking forward to my work out tomorrow.

Tomorrows workout:

Run 1.6 miles to gym
Swim ten laps of our pool.
10 minutes of stretching, mainly hamstrings, back and calves.
3 minutes of plank.
45 kettlebell swings.
45 pushups.

we shall see how that goes...

i think i may need to bring a journal with me. Just to see if I can beat my old personal records...

New shoes, and better times

2007-12-16T17:31:00.001-08:00

Working out with me. Should be interesting.

I have a goal here. You see I am trying to lose thirteen or so pounds so I can be a sub two hundred person. Right now I am two hundred twelve pound person. I weight myself, everyday, on the scale at my gym. It is pretty wicked. Earlier this week I was well on my way. I had dropped to two hundred four pounds by Tuesday. But by this Sunday i had brought it back up again to two hundred twelve.

Blech. It is all a bit frustrating. So now it is time to take some of the advice I have heard. Time to regulate what I eat and work out more.

With that in mind I have purchased, not one, but two pairs of shoes. One, the Nike free 7.0 and the other some Asics dual something or others, gimme a sec...gel Kayano shoes. They are to make up for the shoes that I just had. The Air Pegasus +. the person at running room gave me the wrong type of shoes. I have the exact opposite type of problem than the original shoe they gave me. Pretty crazy, no?

Running room. Still like the store but I was a bit pissed that they cost me so much money. But what can you do. I don't really expect too much out of people these days. Especially in retail. Nothing bad intended. I received good service.