A little monkey on my back

I was hoping to hit the 1/4 landmark today but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I don't feel like doing another 134 pushups before bed. I did a set of 35 when I got to work and sets of 50 and 40 with a quick break between in the afternoon. At home I did 4 sets of 25, with Urijah riding on my back for the first 85. I'm really glad he jumped off during the last set because I don't know if I could have finished it. 

During lunch I went running. My goal was to run 5 miles and shoot for 7:30 pace. I was pushing it pretty hard and ended up averaging 7:18. I need to get back to doing some interval workouts and working on form because I can't go a whole lot faster than I did today.

Pushups - 225 / 12366 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 755 YTD

Running - 5 / 89.78 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 41 YTD
Run total - 132.78 YTD

Back on the 2nd job

I went up and did some work on the house yesterday. I hadn't been up for a couple weeks, which felt great to take a break. But it will be hanging over my head until I get it livable. I did some framing to finish some walls that needed to be fitted around the duct work and also starting the biggest bulkhead that needs to be done. I also was able to use the new truck for truck-like purposes. I took all the old ducts and electrical wire to a recycling place. They paid me $90 for the wire which was a nice surprise. I have some copper to take them but they wouldn't take it yesterday because it still had some of the heating oil in the lines that I need to drain.

Knowing I was going to be sore from the house I decided to do pushups before bed. I was going to do 3 sets for a 100, then upped it to 6 sets for 200, and ended up doing 2 more sets and finishing at 250. 

This morning I was right about being sore but its is mainly my hamstrings. Something about that house murders my hammys. 

Pushups - 250 / 12141 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 755 YTD

Running - 0 / 84.78 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 41 YTD
Run total - 127.78 YTD

Sunshine

We've had some pretty good weather this week and I took advantage and went for a run during lunch. I went with another guy who is a little slower and did a loop from our office around the Ballard bridge. The loop was 4 miles and he stopped when we got back but I decided to tack another mile on. The first 4 miles was 33:33 (8:23) so I sped up after I left him and ran the last one in 7:10 which brought the average down to 8:08. I'm signed up to do beat the bridge in May, the only other 5 mile race I can remember doing is Torchlight back in high school. Pretty sure I did it the the summer before my sr. year and ran 6:50ish pace. If I can run beat the bridge around 7:15 I'll be happy considering the limited running I've done.

I did 2 random sets of 25 pushups just to get a few freebies in.


Pushups - 50 / 11891 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 755 YTD

Running - 5 / 84.78 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 41 YTD
Run total - 127.78 YTD

New approach

I did a set of 40 in the morning when I got to work and went to the gym during lunch. I started with 20 pushups on the minute and last only a sorry 7 minutes. Then jumped on the elliptical for 2.5 miles. After that did pull up sets of 8 on the minute and only lasted 4 sets. Did one more set of 40 pushups and called it quits.

I was talking to a couple guys at work after the gym and am starting to think I need to start doing full on lifting days and full cardio days instead of mixing and matching. I'm feeling like the workout from lunch isn't going to get the best gains. Burning calories and losing weight is great, and that workout accomplishes that. But it isn't going to help me get much stronger or gain any endurance.

Figuring this is my strength day I decided to do RipDeck at night time was even slower but considering I worked out pretty good earlier I knew it would be rough. Total 16:44 - Sit ups 8:54 Pushups 7:49. My abs hurt on the very first sit up and I had to take some breaks during the pushup sets towards the end. Its a great workout and should give better results then randoms sets just to satisfy a quota.


Pushups - 428 / 11841 YTD
Pull ups - 32 / 755 YTD

Running - 0 / 79.78 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 2.5 / 41 YTD
Run total - 122.78 YTD

Dragging along

I think this has been my biggest hiatus from writing. Its been a little crazy lately. Saturday I was really sore from doing the RipDeck the night before. I only managed 2x25 on pushups but did take the dog for 3.56 miles. We went and ran down on the trail by the river and there happened to be a 5k going on. Not sure the exact timing but we started before the race and were running in the same direction. Their course was a simple out and back and when I hit the turn around point some guy wasn't sure if we were in (leading) the race. Because my route is 1.8 our we ran another 1/4 mile or so before turning around. By the time we got back to their turnaround quite a few people had made it there. The timing was funny because we were passing people the entire way back in. Cosmo was loving it, we were picking people off left and right because we were probably middle to back of the pack.

Sunday I iced my shins off and on the entire day. Speeding up to pass all the people in the race did some damage to my shins. I'm really not sure if I have shin splints of a stress fracture. The dr didn't think it was a stress fracture but it is scary to think about your leg snapping. I was still so from RipDeck but managed sets of 40,40,40,30 throughout the day. Tasha's family had called and her grandma in Montana was in the hospital and was in really bad shape. Things were going up and down and they thought she was getting better but we got a call at 5am Monday that she took a turn for the worse. A couple hours later we were on the road with a caravan of 6 adults, 4 kids, and a dog. Tasha is really unusual in the fact that she still has all 4 grandparents alive. Foreshadow alert. We left Tuesday around noon and the doctor hit her with the paddles to kickstart her heart in hopes that her body could focus more on her lungs instead of her. They said they should know a lot more after 48 hours pass. Monday I did 30,20 before bed. 

We made it back to our house on Tuesday just in time for me to make it to Seattle and make my soccer game. After the first half I was thinking I should have skipped it. I was horrible. Had a defensive mixed up that led to a goal. Probably the most responsible I've felt for one. The 2nd half was much better at least.

Wednesday I did a few sets of pushups 50,50,50,25 and went for a run with the entire family. We all did 2 miles together at a pace that can barely be considered running but man that double stroller is so heavy. It isn't even a jogging stroller just a plain ass bulky stroller. Which means you need to be careful turning not to topple over and then starting from a near stop is grueling. I did a little more than a mile more with the dog but we ran into Jamie and his girlfriend who were out walking and stopped to chat with them for a while in the middle.

Saturday 50, Sunday 150, Monday 50, Wednesday 175


Pushups - Sat 50, Sun 150, Mon 50, Wed 175 / 11413 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 723 YTD

Running - Sat 3.56, Wed 3.16 / 79.78 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 38.5 YTD
Run total - 120.28 YTD

Pain

The busy week might have been a little too much. My shins have been acting up the last couple days.
Tuesday we had soccer, got owned again. We are way out of our league. These guys had Jerseys with the Olde 99 pub logo, which is Gabe's bar at the old K&K location. Made me crave some wings.
Wednesday I did just enough pushups to keep pace, and went for a run at night. I decided to go shorter and run a little harder because I have been going slow lately. I did one of my usual loops and my watch had some satellite issues. I ran past where the half mile alert goes off and nothing happened. 30 seconds later it goes off. I'm glad it was a route I know otherwise I would have thought I was running hard but going super slow.
Today I hit the gym at lunch and did 15 pull ups, 25 pushups, 10 pull ups, 25 pushups. Then did the elliptical for 30 minutes which came out to 2.5 miles. I did 2:30 easy and then 0:30 sprints. Sprinting on there is awkward but was a good workout. My heart rate hit 177 on the last interval. I had that thing rocking from going so fast and was waiting for it to explode. Made for a much more enjoyable elliptical session. I did a few more sets of pushups (3pm 50, 4pm 25-25) and ended the night doing a RipDeck session. It basically killed me. I have zero strength in my abs. I did it next to a couch so I could hold me feet down this time. Total time 15:41 - Sit ups 10:01, Pushups 5:40. The time was slower than before but I was doing full sit ups all the way through even though I was cheating pulling myself up as I got tired.


Pushups - Wednesday 130, Thursday 358 / 10988 YTD
Pull ups - 25 / 723 YTD

Running - Wednesday 2.37 / 73.06 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - Thursday 2.5 / 38.5 YTD
Run total - 113.56 YTD

Boston Marathon

With all of the recent news surrounding North Korea I've been having a feeling that the US was due to have something tragic happen domestically. 12 years have passed since September 11th, before that it was the Olympic bombing in Atlanta in '96 and the Federal Building in Oklahoma in '95. Can't like that I had to look up the date of OKC and didn't remember the magnitude of it. I guess that's the bad part of getting old is you comprehend the devastation. I wonder if our generation will have our 'Walking on the Moon' event or if we are destined only for disasters. Tasha had it on the TV while I was at work and Urijah was asking if those people were ok. Worst part about kids is worrying about the world they will be left with. Seeing the video of people rushing in to help the injured today at least gives hope. Someone posted something on FB about the good will always outnumber the bad. The problem isn't people outnumbered, the problem is that so few people can make such a large impact. Maybe the best way to think of these people is consider them to be natural disasters that are bound to happen every so often. They can't all be prevented but they bring communities together to mourn, rally, and make everyone stronger.

Thunder can't stop me

I'm pretty sure the last 7 days has been my strongest week to date. I've gone running 4 times totaling 18.5 miles (4.12,3.97,8.09,2.37), played soccer, done box jumps twice, 110 pull ups, and 1525 pushups. Maybe this working out thing is starting to pan out and I might be getting back in shape. There is a long road ahead but at least I'm driving the right direction.

Today I did 40 morning pushups, at the gym 10 sets of 20 pushups, 6 pull ups, 10 box jumps, 60 seconds rest on the bike, 50 afternoon pushups at work, 40 pushups after dinner, and sets of 30,30,30,32(22 w/Urijah on my back) right before a 2.37 mile run. I almost didn't make it on the run because of thunder and lightning but I waited a half hour and the weather passed and I was glad to get a short jog in.

Pushups - 452 / 10500 YTD
Pull ups - 60 / 698 YTD

Running - 2.37 / 70.69 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 108.69 YTD

Detoured

I was planning to go for a longer run and thought it would work out good to run to Tad's kid's t-ball game and meet everyone there and then ride how. I mapped it online and it said 6.3 miles. Seemed like a good length so I set out around 40 minutes before they were supposed to start and figured I get there a few minutes into it. The plan was great but how was I supposed to know the road was going to be closed after somebody drove into a power pole. After a 2 mile detour I was just getting to the field when they were wrapping up and caught a ride back from Tasha's parents. Luckily I was going really slow so the extra miles weren't that big a deal. I've got a blister on my arch on one foot but feel good otherwise.

I did 4 sets of 30 pushups in the after noon before we took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese. We stayed around 2 hours and only spent $10. Which is great, except when you think of the type of people who spend in that range. Tons of unsupervised kids running a muck and general chaos. We're talking a kid maybe a year old crawling around on the floor with no one watching. Kids climbing over the barriers and games with no parents in sight. Typically south King County Dub-T.

At night I wanted to do more pushups and thought trying the ripdeck workout would be a good idea. I spent a half hour making my app usable and gave it a shot. It kicked my ass. I've never been a sit-up guy so they were utter torture. But its a great way to add a muscle I neglect with a getting the numbers I need for this challenge. I need to do it where I can hold my feet down for situps. The first half I went up all the way without holding them down and the 2nd half I did more crunch style. My time was an embarrassing 14:53, 8:03 sit-ups, 6:50 pushups. It was cool to be able to use the app I made even though it is still very raw but works and does its job.

Pushups - 328 / 10048 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 638 YTD

Running - 8.09 / 68.32 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 106.32 YTD

Not a bad week

I feel pretty good about my progress the for the week considering I'm still fighting off the cold. I needed to give my legs a break after soccer and back to back runs. I went to the gym at lunch and did 10 sets back to back of 20 pushups, 5 pull ups, a rest that alternated between 60 seconds on the bike or 10 box jumps. When I finished I took a quick break and did 3 sets of curls and rows to finish off. At home I did random sets of 40 (6:30pm), 50 (8:20pm), 75 (9:50pm). I set the timer for 2 minutes on the last set to emulate Brandon's PT test and hit 75 right after the cutoff. Tomorrow I shoot to break 10k and 100 miles.

In responsible adult news I completed our taxes. Wallet is lighter but at least I have one less thing to worry about.

Pushups - 365 / 9720 YTD
Pull ups - 50 / 638 YTD

Running - 0 / 60.23 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 98.23 YTD

Gone mobile

Seems like I should give the mobile app a try considering that I an an android developer and all. First impressions, why when I view to edit an existing post is in it html markup. Wtf am I going to code up a webpage in my phone.
I'm on the light rail on my way to the mariners game. This is the first time I've gone when Felix is pitching
since they have started the king's court. Free tickets from Renee are always good to come by.
I'm at 105 pushups for the day and ran just under 4 miles. This was the first time I have run the big hill by my house in a long time, I forgot how much it sucked. Pretty productive especially when you add in working as well.
I had to take the new truck to get emissions testing done. I didn't know that not all counties in Washington required it. Since a bought it from a guy in kitsap he just renewed tabs but we had to do emissions.
Last thing on my todo list is taxes. We owe a lot so it hasn't been a high priority. I guess that will be tomorrow's task


Pushups - 105 / 9355 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 3.97 / 60.23 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 98.23 YTD

On the road again

I need to start going for some longer runs I've been trying to ease myself back into running but should be able to stretch it out a little at this point. I wore my orthotics playing soccer last night for the first time and they didn't bother me at all. We'll see if doing that helps my shins. I went for just over 4 miles tonight and took it easy for the first 3 miles and then sped up for the final one. My shins are sore right now but after two days of running in a row I'm not surprised.

Needed to do a few sets up pushups before hitting the sack - 30, 35, 35

Writing immediately after running and doing pushups makes it hard to add anything other than the essential recap.

Pushups - 100 / 9250 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 4.12 / 56.26 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 94.26 YTD

Turning the corner

I think I might be turning the corner on this cold. I still have a bit of a cough and hacked up some nasty green stuff this morning but I was able to do 175 pushups and play most of the soccer game. I was noticeably winded but was able to labor through it. This league we are in is super tough. We lost 2-1 but had the best group of players we've had in a long time. Today also marked the first day in a week and a half that I've made it into the office for work. I could get used to not having to work and can't wait for that day.

For the pushups I did 2x25 in the AM and then 25,25,35,40 right now before heading to bed. Now that I'm getting back on track for pushups I need to get out and add some miles to the odometer.



Pushups - 175 / 9150 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 0 / 52.14 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 90.14 YTD

Opening Day

My usual routine for Opening Day is leave work early head down to Pyramid run into 50 people we know who are also going to the game and then go watch some baseball. I think I've gone to everyone since 2005. When 'Richie Sexson hit a home run'. If the sentence before is funny then we are good friends if not I don't care I don't promise any enjoyment from reading these post. Between a disenchantment with the Mariners and their rising prices and shrinking payroll and a hectic home schedule I decided to pass. I was rewarded with one heck of a NCAA championship game to watch. It's funny to root against your bracket in the finals, but my other than Louisville I couldn't have done much worse. Michigan is my favorite Big 10 school and I thought they had it but man Louisville is so strong.

I was able to do 50 in the AM, afternoon and PM in 2x25 again. That is going to be my routine until my shoulder is feeling better. We have soccer tomorrow but I'm still feeling pretty sick so we'll see if I make it to the game.

Pushups - 150 / 8975 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 0 / 52.14 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 90.14 YTD

Dragging on

This illness is really dragging on. I'm going on 5 days of one symptom or another. The last few days has been a nasty cough. I did 6x25 on Saturday because I needed to get back on the horse. My muscles felt rested but had no energy. The problem with trying to stay on pace and not build a big padding is I can't afford to have a week like this where I'm sick or hurt. Well doing just that on Saturday I could feel it in my shoulder the next day. I'm going to try and do 2x25 in the AM, afternoon, and PM just to keep the numbers afloat.

We kept busy over the weekend. Saturday I went and bought a truck. I've always loved the concept of the Avalanche being able to fold down the midgate into the cab and create the 8ft bed. Now I get my chance to see if it really is worth it. I went straight to Lowe's and bought a bunch of lumber just because I could. There is a small leak on the rear window seal that I need to take a look at but nothing that should be a huge deal. After that we relaxed at home and I watched most of the basketball games. I was really pulling for the Shockers but I'm fine with a Michigan/Louisville final.

Yesterday, we met Marcus and the soon to be Mrs. for lunch. They had a late night the night before at his Dad's for an engagement party. Luce family functions always has some good stories to recap and this was no different. After that we visited both sets of Gparents and both kids fell a sleep on the way home making for an easy night.

Typical married w/kids weekend. It may be not exciting but these guys are worth it.


Pushups - 150 / 8825 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 0 / 52.14 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 90.14 YTD

Quitting

April first seems like a good day to quit. At least my body decided that it was going to play an april fool's day prank on me. Monday I needed to go to the house to meet a contractor who was installing new duct work. I took the day off from my real job for more manual labor. I did some pushups in the morning and then a few more sets at night to hit 175. The contractor was able to start work the next day which meant more time away from the office. I don't really want to just leave them working on the house because I want to make sure things are done the way I want them. Tuesday went great he got most the job done and then I took Cosmo for a run. 

It was at this point that my body decided it had enough. I had a hard time sleeping that night and it hurt to take real deep breaths during the middle of the night. Wednesday I woke up and still hurt to breath deeply and felt drained almost flu-like. Having been years since going to the doctor I decided I might as well go. He gave me a prescription if it turns into the flu or other viral symptoms increase. At this point the breathing is better but I have a cough and headache. The consolation prize from the doctor office was a referral for a colonoscopy. I knew I was about due which was another reason I figured I might as well do in. 

After the doctor I went to the house but didn't have energy to do much. The contractor messed up his supply order and was going to have to make a run for supplies or come back the next day. I had him keep working and drove to pickup the parts so he could finish that day.

My shoulder was been really hurting this week as well. Between the pushups and working on the house it needed a break. I think I'm going to take another day off tomorrow and then startup again on saturday.

Pushups - 175 / 8675 YTD
Pull ups - 0 / 588 YTD

Running - 3 / 52.14 YTD
Treadmill - 0 / 2 YTD
Elliptical - 0 / 36 YTD
Run total - 90.14 YTD

Here are some pics from the house

Finished framing bedroom wall now that I know the size of the bulkhead for the vent

Moved the water heater out and framed the wall behind it and around the water main shutoff valve

Same

Whenever my garbage pile is low I find more stuff to throw away. He replace a lot more of the existing duct that I anticipated

Ducts for the bathrooms (left is going down, the right is the bathroom above)

Wish I had a picture of the before for here. The new vents are WAY better and will have a much smaller bulk head head. We also removed an air return that was hanging down really low here.

Branch lines for the two bathrooms

Branch lines coming off the truck

Old bulk head framing in the bedroom. Going to be able to move it over 6 inches or so because I had him adjust the connection to the truck

Different angle

Where the above pictures connect to the truck. And an oval line used for the other downstairs bedroom.