So 2012 is just about over. What a year it has been. I set out the year to get healthier. I definitely have laid a good foundation for that. The holidays have added a few lbs to my girly physique, but once these crazy stupid retail hours are done my training will get back to normal. I started this year weighing just north of 360 pounds and as I type I am floating in the low 270's. I got down to 260 in October, but the hours and the food have taken their toll. I ran a few triathlons and started JiuJitsu. I had a bunch of teeth removed and I had a little proactive surgery on my...well urethral area. Nice. But my cholesterol and blood sugar and liver enzymes are super healthy. I also can say for the first time since I was about 13 that not a single nicotine product was put in my body for the entire year. 19 months for that one. I am feeling like a great foundation has been laid and in 2013 it will be stronger.
I have always started the year with hair brained ideas and goals. Write a book. Learn a language. Get a million dollars. Learn an instrument. All silly things that used to be fueled with alcohol filled New Year's Eve parties. Now I actually say down and made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish. I wanted 5 things, I wound up with 13.
1. I want to ride 2000 miles on my bike. I did about 800 last year and did that starting in March and really ending in September before my surgery.
2. 6 sprint triathlons. I have them scheduled up and ready.
3. 2 Olympic triathlons. I hope to be ready by the Clear Lake in mid August and the Houston at the end of September.
4. Weigh under 240 pounds. I have roughly 35 to go and that will be awesome.
5. Run 250 miles. I hate running. This will be very hard.
6. Read 2 books to becoming a better leader. I need that.
7. Read 2 books to becoming a better sales person. I don't need that.
8. Visit this blog and share twice a week. I do it in spurts. I want to get a little more regular.
9. Obtain 3 stripes in JiuJitsu. I know I am on the verge of the first one. I want this bad.
10. Return to church. Born catholic. Raised catholic. Schooled catholic. Confirmed catholic. I dearly want this back in my life. I don't know how I will measure this.
11. Tough Mudder. This is bizarre.
12. MS150 to Austin. A nice 184 mile bike ride in April.
13. Read the bible. Never done it. Gonna try.
I figure that if the Mayans don't ruin it on Friday that these 13 things will keep me super duper busy. Kennedy is going to run a kids tri in may. And I almost have Ashley convinced to do one in August. We will see.
Ian
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Tippity tap tap taparoo...
This Brazilian Jiujitsu is very humbling. On Tuesday night i rolled with a higher level white belt. He has been doing it for about a year and is a 4th degree white belt, his next step is blue. He has a bit of a size advantage on me, maybe 10 lbs. Within 15 minutes i had tapped out 4 times, 4 different submissions put on me. Each time the tap was harder to do, I am guessing that is a pride thing. Frustration sets in because you either tap out, or in 2 of those submissions i pass out, and the other two I am in the ER with some surgery coming my way.
The things he kept telling me to do is slow down, be methodical, abandon a move it is not working and breathe. Sounds simple enough.
So Thursday morning's class is fine, we really do not roll in the morning class. We have less time since we all have to go to work. But I got a chance to roll with a few blue belts and i am like a sponge at this point. I have no bad habits, I don't watch this on tv, I have no formal training. So after about 20 minutes and a few more tap outs I picked up a thing or two.
Last night was amazing. I got to roll with a big fella, about 350 lbs. He has been doing it since August. He was heavy. He new his stuff but i kept seeing where he was going with things and I was breathing and slowing it down. I tried a few things and it didn't work and I did not continue to exhaust myself on that. He almost had me in an arm bar but I was able to slip out of it. And then I had him. I had a knee on his right bicep, isolating his arm. Elbow pinned up under his chin pushing down on his throat. And my left arm holding down his left hand. And then it happened. My right arm slipped up under his left bicep and gripped my left wrist. and I pulled towards his ribcage with my right arm and lifted with my left arm. And then I felt it. His right hand on my calf slapping me. I just made him tap out. I survived 10 minutes.
That was an amazing rush. I am sore all over this morning from it. even more sore because I just finished a leg, core and cardio workout. But it is the best sore I have had in quite sometime.
Ian
The things he kept telling me to do is slow down, be methodical, abandon a move it is not working and breathe. Sounds simple enough.
So Thursday morning's class is fine, we really do not roll in the morning class. We have less time since we all have to go to work. But I got a chance to roll with a few blue belts and i am like a sponge at this point. I have no bad habits, I don't watch this on tv, I have no formal training. So after about 20 minutes and a few more tap outs I picked up a thing or two.
Last night was amazing. I got to roll with a big fella, about 350 lbs. He has been doing it since August. He was heavy. He new his stuff but i kept seeing where he was going with things and I was breathing and slowing it down. I tried a few things and it didn't work and I did not continue to exhaust myself on that. He almost had me in an arm bar but I was able to slip out of it. And then I had him. I had a knee on his right bicep, isolating his arm. Elbow pinned up under his chin pushing down on his throat. And my left arm holding down his left hand. And then it happened. My right arm slipped up under his left bicep and gripped my left wrist. and I pulled towards his ribcage with my right arm and lifted with my left arm. And then I felt it. His right hand on my calf slapping me. I just made him tap out. I survived 10 minutes.
That was an amazing rush. I am sore all over this morning from it. even more sore because I just finished a leg, core and cardio workout. But it is the best sore I have had in quite sometime.
Ian
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Sore, sore, and did I mention SORE...
This Jiu Jitsu is just, how do they say it in Italy, Awesome. But the side effects are a complete body soreness that I cannot quite explain. The day started out this morning at 4:30. I did not want to get out of my cozy bed. I really wanted to press snooze like 400 times. But alas, it is Thursday, and that means it is BJJ time. So I crawl into the shower, knees aching, elbows sore, hands feeling arthritic and my jaw hurts.
My knees are always a little achy in the morning, but then I get moving and they feel good. They feel a lot better than they did a year ago.
My elbows hurt because they keep getting bent the wrong way.
My hands are sore from having to have a constant firm grip on the person you are rolling with.
My jaw hurts from where a 270 pound man drove his knee into the side of my face to get leverage so he could bend my elbow backwards.
beyond the BJJ, I am still slowly training to take on the Lonestar Ironman in Galveston on April 7, 2013. So far the only thing that I have missed with my workouts is 1 running session last week, and running hills yesterday. I devised a workout grading system. I have to mentally grade myself in many things that I do in order to know if I am doing them well. So I have set a weeks worth of working out in a small notebook. Each entry is worth 1 point. So for this week Monday's workout was 17 activities. Bench press, cable triceps, side ab cable, front plank, side plank, running plank, reach across, incline, rope triceps, shrugs, sit ups, chest fly, overhead triceps, bench jumps and 3 5 minute sessions on the bike for 5 minutes in between sets. I do each of those things in 3 sets, and do them in 5 exercise rotations. I will ride the bike for 5 minutes, bench 12 reps, cable triceps each arm 12 times, side ab cable each side 12 times, plank forward for 30 seconds and do 15 reach across exercises. Then I will repeat in 10 rep and then 8 rep increments. Then when I finish the 3 sets, back on the bike for 5 minutes and head to the next cycle of 5 exercises. I only rest about 10 seconds between each exercise so it as at an aerobic pace.
So 17 points are able to earned on Monday. If I cannot finish or I do not do a set I lose a point. I have 52 points to earn this week. i have earned 34 so far. So I have an average grade of a 65.
It is my system and it makes sense to me.
I figure that at the end of the week if I am in a 95% or better it was an extremely good week. That is my goal from here on out is 95% or better. I f I am running a 95% in the last week of January i am registering for the Lonestar Ironman.
Have a happy Thursday.
Ian
My knees are always a little achy in the morning, but then I get moving and they feel good. They feel a lot better than they did a year ago.
My elbows hurt because they keep getting bent the wrong way.
My hands are sore from having to have a constant firm grip on the person you are rolling with.
My jaw hurts from where a 270 pound man drove his knee into the side of my face to get leverage so he could bend my elbow backwards.
beyond the BJJ, I am still slowly training to take on the Lonestar Ironman in Galveston on April 7, 2013. So far the only thing that I have missed with my workouts is 1 running session last week, and running hills yesterday. I devised a workout grading system. I have to mentally grade myself in many things that I do in order to know if I am doing them well. So I have set a weeks worth of working out in a small notebook. Each entry is worth 1 point. So for this week Monday's workout was 17 activities. Bench press, cable triceps, side ab cable, front plank, side plank, running plank, reach across, incline, rope triceps, shrugs, sit ups, chest fly, overhead triceps, bench jumps and 3 5 minute sessions on the bike for 5 minutes in between sets. I do each of those things in 3 sets, and do them in 5 exercise rotations. I will ride the bike for 5 minutes, bench 12 reps, cable triceps each arm 12 times, side ab cable each side 12 times, plank forward for 30 seconds and do 15 reach across exercises. Then I will repeat in 10 rep and then 8 rep increments. Then when I finish the 3 sets, back on the bike for 5 minutes and head to the next cycle of 5 exercises. I only rest about 10 seconds between each exercise so it as at an aerobic pace.
So 17 points are able to earned on Monday. If I cannot finish or I do not do a set I lose a point. I have 52 points to earn this week. i have earned 34 so far. So I have an average grade of a 65.
It is my system and it makes sense to me.
I figure that at the end of the week if I am in a 95% or better it was an extremely good week. That is my goal from here on out is 95% or better. I f I am running a 95% in the last week of January i am registering for the Lonestar Ironman.
Have a happy Thursday.
Ian
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Election Night
I think i am just going to Secede. That is all I will say about that.
My hip is sore. My right shoulder is sore. My left elbow is sore. They are all sore like they have been hyper extended. Oh, and I just noticed my right foot is sore also.
But what an awesome activity this Jiu Jitsu is. I finished 2 classes today and rolled for my first time. Rolling is the actual wrestling/grappling/fighting thing that we do. I rolled with a couple of different partners of varying degrees. This sport is very humbling. Tapping out because you are beat is done voluntarily. As long as you can take the pain and you are conscious you can keep going. It is exhausting.
I did a great workout yesterday as well, and have a great workout planned tomorrow as well as some hill running planned.
The hill running is like the bayous I used to run in high school football. Down at George Bush Park there are some great big, steep and crazy hills trails, about 50 feet long or so at a 45-50 degree angle. I just plan on doing them until I want to throw up. That is usually the point that I know I should stop.
Then on Thursday I have a Jiu Jitsu class in the morning and the evening, then a traditional wrestling class in the evening as well. That should be interesting.
I cannot wait until December when I can start working the bike back into the routine. I already know that first ride back, planned to be about 25 miles, is going to absolutely hurt.
Happy Socialist day!!!
ian
My hip is sore. My right shoulder is sore. My left elbow is sore. They are all sore like they have been hyper extended. Oh, and I just noticed my right foot is sore also.
But what an awesome activity this Jiu Jitsu is. I finished 2 classes today and rolled for my first time. Rolling is the actual wrestling/grappling/fighting thing that we do. I rolled with a couple of different partners of varying degrees. This sport is very humbling. Tapping out because you are beat is done voluntarily. As long as you can take the pain and you are conscious you can keep going. It is exhausting.
I did a great workout yesterday as well, and have a great workout planned tomorrow as well as some hill running planned.
The hill running is like the bayous I used to run in high school football. Down at George Bush Park there are some great big, steep and crazy hills trails, about 50 feet long or so at a 45-50 degree angle. I just plan on doing them until I want to throw up. That is usually the point that I know I should stop.
Then on Thursday I have a Jiu Jitsu class in the morning and the evening, then a traditional wrestling class in the evening as well. That should be interesting.
I cannot wait until December when I can start working the bike back into the routine. I already know that first ride back, planned to be about 25 miles, is going to absolutely hurt.
Happy Socialist day!!!
ian
Sunday, November 4, 2012
I am still sore
Seriously. It is Sunday. It is 9:13 at night. I have to start it all again tomorrow? What the hell?
Jiu Jitsu is just an insane activity. I swear that I almost threw up out of exhaustion on Thursday evening. I have 5 sessions this week, and I hope I can make it all the way through. I am going to mix some new runs in as well. I am going to do some hill running. I have a very steep hill at George Bush Park and I plan on just doing as many reps as I can this Wednesday and Friday. That all along with 3 workout sessions and 1 traditional wrestling class, and come Saturday night I will be just about dead.
Now it is time to unwind with some walking dead since 4:50 is going to come really quick tomorrow morning.
Jiu Jitsu is just an insane activity. I swear that I almost threw up out of exhaustion on Thursday evening. I have 5 sessions this week, and I hope I can make it all the way through. I am going to mix some new runs in as well. I am going to do some hill running. I have a very steep hill at George Bush Park and I plan on just doing as many reps as I can this Wednesday and Friday. That all along with 3 workout sessions and 1 traditional wrestling class, and come Saturday night I will be just about dead.
Now it is time to unwind with some walking dead since 4:50 is going to come really quick tomorrow morning.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
24 weeks to go
24 weeks to go. That is what I wrote on paper last night. 24 long, difficult, quit filled weeks to go. Lot's of things are happening. April 7 will be here so soon.
April 7 is the Texas Ironman. It isn't a full Ironman, that may or may come one day. It is just a half Ironman. 70.3 miles of challenge. 168 days to ready myself for this kind of competition.
I came to the conclusion that this can be done. I have done a lot in the last 10 months. I have lost a lot of weight. i pushed my way through a couple of small triathlons. I showed myself that I can accomplish things that I previously thought were impossible.
So why not a 70.3 mile race? I can think of so many reasons to not do it. It is hard. It will be painful. It will take discipline. It will suck to train for.
But there are so many reasons why I should do it.
I keep those close to the heart. I keep them deep inside so when I want to quit, I reach down for those reasons and I keep going.
241 miles of running.
1045 miles of riding.
39 miles of swimming.
49 weightlifting sessions.
77 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. Oh, Yeah. I started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is an incredible workout.
That is what it is going to take to make this happen. It all starts tomorrow. I won't see the saddle of a bike until the first week of December, doctor's orders. I won't see the pool until the first week of January.
When it is all said and done I should be at a race weight of around 230. That would be sophmore in high school kind of weight and would put my total loss at 135 lbs in 16 months.
This will really put me into a good place. I have 6 or 7 other triathlons that I have already picked out for next season, and my Tough Mudder.
And the Jiu Jitsu thing, it takes 8-10 years to become a black belt, so that is a new part of my life.
ian
April 7 is the Texas Ironman. It isn't a full Ironman, that may or may come one day. It is just a half Ironman. 70.3 miles of challenge. 168 days to ready myself for this kind of competition.
I came to the conclusion that this can be done. I have done a lot in the last 10 months. I have lost a lot of weight. i pushed my way through a couple of small triathlons. I showed myself that I can accomplish things that I previously thought were impossible.
So why not a 70.3 mile race? I can think of so many reasons to not do it. It is hard. It will be painful. It will take discipline. It will suck to train for.
But there are so many reasons why I should do it.
I keep those close to the heart. I keep them deep inside so when I want to quit, I reach down for those reasons and I keep going.
241 miles of running.
1045 miles of riding.
39 miles of swimming.
49 weightlifting sessions.
77 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. Oh, Yeah. I started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is an incredible workout.
That is what it is going to take to make this happen. It all starts tomorrow. I won't see the saddle of a bike until the first week of December, doctor's orders. I won't see the pool until the first week of January.
When it is all said and done I should be at a race weight of around 230. That would be sophmore in high school kind of weight and would put my total loss at 135 lbs in 16 months.
This will really put me into a good place. I have 6 or 7 other triathlons that I have already picked out for next season, and my Tough Mudder.
And the Jiu Jitsu thing, it takes 8-10 years to become a black belt, so that is a new part of my life.
ian
Monday, October 15, 2012
Preparing the menu
So along with all these lofty athletic goals comes a better and healthier way to eat. I have pretty healthy numbers according to my doctor, which is a lot better than they were back 2 years ago.
So to keep these numbers there I examined what I was eating. while I had pretty much eliminated the crap from fast food, I still had hidden crap, like granola bars and fat free yogurt. So I am changing up what we eat in our house for dinner to not that much fanfare. The salmon went over well last night, but the wild rice and broccoli casserole (no cheese or butter) did not go as planned.
Today it is baked chicken breasts, roasted tomato slices and black beans. The black beans have jalapenos, onions and garlic in them, and it is my first attempt at beans of any kind, so needless to say this will be an adventure.
Cannot wait until bison chili on thursday.
Much to the dismay of my wife and daughter I am eliminating the processed, boxed food that they are so very used to. And it is killing them on day 2.
ian
My numbers from my doctor:
- Total cholesterol 192 (Under 200 is ideal)
- Triglycerides 80 (Under 150 is target)
- HDL cholesterol (good) 58 (Over 55 is ideal)
- LDL cholesterol (bad) 118 (between 100-129 is ideal)
- Glucose 86 (between 70-99 is target)
- AST liver enzyme 30 (8-48 is target)
- ALT liver enzyme 15 (7-55 is target)
- Potassium 4.9 (3.7-5.2 is target)
So to keep these numbers there I examined what I was eating. while I had pretty much eliminated the crap from fast food, I still had hidden crap, like granola bars and fat free yogurt. So I am changing up what we eat in our house for dinner to not that much fanfare. The salmon went over well last night, but the wild rice and broccoli casserole (no cheese or butter) did not go as planned.
Today it is baked chicken breasts, roasted tomato slices and black beans. The black beans have jalapenos, onions and garlic in them, and it is my first attempt at beans of any kind, so needless to say this will be an adventure.
Cannot wait until bison chili on thursday.
Much to the dismay of my wife and daughter I am eliminating the processed, boxed food that they are so very used to. And it is killing them on day 2.
ian
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