This is the second part of my series, Fitnees Training: All the Difference of 30 Miles. In week 3,  I have added to my 30 mile routine. My fitness classes are over, adding pressure to find adequate workouts. Consuming at least a gallon of water a day is vital to the routine. Skimp on water one day, and you’ll pay for it the next.

Week 3 Day 1

20+ mile bike ride, my first time on a road bike (normally mountain bike), clipped into pedals and ate in the Gravel, wrenched my knee and elbow. I count it as a 6 mile workout.

Week 3 Day 2

My knee and elbow still throbbed and I didn’t want to make it worse, so I rested.

Week 3 Day 3

I felt much better but didn’t log any miles. Instead I focused on ground work and weights. I’ll have to double up throughout the rest of the week and weekend. This will actually help me prep for my Alaska trip next month where I plan to backpack  52 miles in 3 days in the Denali area.

Sit-ups x 30
Immediately followed by:
Sit-ups w/ Oblique Twist 30
Immediately followed by:
Cordination Exercise (Pilates) 16
Immediately followed by:
Leg Lifts 16
(Repeated 3x)

Perfect Push Ups 3×20
Followed by medicine workout (with 14lb medicine ball) Preparation for the weeks and workouts ahead
Free Weight Curls 3×16 reps @35 lbs
Bench Press 3 sets of 165 (keeping it light)
3×16 Squats
Immediately followed by:
3×20 Squat Thrusts
3×16 Narrow Squats

WeeK 3 Day 4
Walked Trooper 4 miles
Ran 4 miles on the treadmill
Stair machine for a little over a mile at level 10
1 Mile Swim

I notice my knee injury began to flare up again while running and I might do an extra mile in the pool tomorrow.

Week 3 Day 5

1 Mile on the stair stepper
1 Mile fast walk w incline
4 Mile run
Bench Press 3×12 @185lbs, then 3×15 @135lbs,
Dumbbell  Curls 3×16 @35lbs
Perfect Push Ups 3×20
Narrow Perfect Push ups 3×20

Week 3 Day 6

3 Mile Swim- A distance and time record for me. I finished under 1hr 48 mins and had no idea I could make it that far, especially not in that time frame.

Week 3 Day 7

12 mile walk around Lake Natoma-backpacking prep. You can read more about that here.

Summary

I need to focus on getting  more ab and strength workouts. It’s been difficult to find the time but important to do it. Hopefully in week 4, I have more days like Day 3 and Day 7.

I’m a fairly active guy but lately I felt like I’ve been spending too much time at the desk and building quite the beer belly without the luxury of drinking beer. I’m fairly active and run  and lift weights in between boot camp fitness and pilates classes but in the past, I’ve been in far better shape. My girlfriend works at a hospital and wears a pedometer while running around at work. Every day she logs in about 5.5-6.5 miles at an insane walking pace (you practically have to jog to keep up with her walking pace) and I wanted to simply increase my physical output and log the results.

One week I decided I was going to make a change to my routine and add 30 miles of running, walking or swimming. I wanted to see the difference an added 30 miles would make in my weight and self image, without changing my diet (at first), trying some crazy concoction or anything else. I eat fairly well, no fast food or soda but I am not by any means a purist. I drink about a gallon or more of water each day and workout regularly, doing pilates and boot camp fitness twice a week. I hope to do this without the assistance of caffeine or other legal or illegal stimulants (joking) at all. My initial weigh in was 188 lbs strong- ooh rah!

My Workout Sessions and Habits

After a few weeks of journaling my experience I left out some important details about my routine that are important to know.

Treadmill

When I walk on the treadmill, I walk fast, at least at a 4.1 mph pace. That’s under a 15 minute mile pace. It is uncomfortable and challenging for me to keep that pace.

When I run/jog on the treadmill,  6.5 mph is the lowest speed I will go. I prefer to do stints of 7.5, 7 , 8 and 8.5 MPH

Elliptical

When I use the elliptical machine, I keep a pace of 7-8 RPM/MPH

Swimming

When I swim, I keep a constant speed and stroke. I don’t switch it up for the first mile/mile and  a half. I’ve never been on a swim team nor did I play water polo (but those will get you in shape fast so I encourage you to sign up) but I have taken swim classes. I was never able to establish a good pace until one day at the gym after working myself out to exhaustion. My muscles were to sore to power through my swim session, so I spent a Sunday focusing on synchronizing my stroke with my breath and nothing else. I was slow the first couple of times but quickly found my groove. Women probably have less of a problem finding their equilibrium in the pool than men. As with many activities, rock climbing, pilates and yoga, men try to power through motions and sacrifice stability and control. Swimming  is similar to those activities, such a long distance day in and day out requires more than brute force.

Hydration

I drink at least a gallon of water everyday. Sometimes, I fall behind and have to play catch up. I will admit that chugging a bunch of water will make you feel sick, ill and it is best to space out your H2O consumption. Drinking a gallon of water is my goal each day. When I need the electrolytes I’ll go for a Gatorade or Powerade. Powerade has less sugar. I try to avoid charging up on caffeine. It is an addictive stimulant and bad habit. The one day you try to workout without an energy drink, you will feel like everything is in slow motion. It is important to develop a natural understanding of your physical abilities and performance.

I have had my binges and stints on every drink or mix under the sun and I can tell you from experience, that there is no cheater’s way to true self-awareness or personal fulfillment. It feels far better to really do it yourself.

Gear

In the water

TYR Goggles- They’re a little pricy $15-$25 but they keep the water out of your eyes and won’t leave scarred outlines when you get out of the pool. I believe in buying good gear to eliminate excuses. There is no reason for you to walk away from a work out, especially when you have decent gear.

Jammers- If you are going to take swimming seriously, you will have to grab those butt hugging boxer brief style swimming jammers. I use Sugoi brand jammers ($30-$65) and have had them for far too long.

On the Run

On the feet-A $60 pair of Aisics that feel like a $50 dollar pair of shoes. They’re not that great but if I can get the job done in these, than upgrades will feel fabulous and empower me to go after world domination.

For My Tunes-iPod nano($150) +Nike arm band-($20) I use an older generation iPod Nano and will continue to use it until it tanks. I recommend buying an iPod on Craigslist. Apple cranks out a new model every 4 months with minor improvements and is worse than Microsoft, cell phone companies, and the people who make 12 versions of the same DVD combined. Buying used or orphaned (fell off the back of a truck and needs a home) iPods allows you to hold on to your hard earned cash. You don’t need to send Steve Jobs extra money.

In the ears-Sony sweat-resistant headphones $20-$25 – Emphasis on the sweat resistant and headphones. I destroy headphones with sweat and hate worrying about it. Furthermore, Ear buds do not stay in for long runs and they are quite annoying to put back in while running. Also, the new trend of these “Noise Eliminating” ear buds that are basically tiny sound drivers encapsulated by ear plugs, are hazardous to your health especially if you are running outside. You want to be able to faintly/somewhat hear screeching tires, sirens and horns on the street and the Rattlesnake and quadraped animals on the trail. Sprinting around deaf=bad idea and good way to get hurt.

iPhone 3GS-$100-300 (depending on deal and contract) I mention my iPhone because adding so many miles to a routine obviously takes me away from other things. I still have to be available to clients and phone calls. More importantly, I love listening to streaming programs like NPR and others to pass the time.

On the Wrist-Timex IronMan triathalon watch $35- this is the long way of saying/compensating for the fact that I bought a decent budget sport watch at Wal-Mart. It works and is an essential tool for any workout. I later found a better model on clearance at Target for $8.74. So shop around.

Here are my initial journal entries for the first few weeks.

Week 1

Week 1 Day 1

4 mile run @ 3PM with a full stomach. Now I remember why I don’t like to run on a full stomach. Fighting the urge to upchuck is never pleasant. Thankfully it didn’t come to that but it was a hard run in the heat.
About 1 mile in a 25 yard pool-32 laps  (1 Mile = 35.2 laps  Leave it to me to look this up after I finished swimming)
I didn’t quite make it to 6 miles on the first day, so I will have to make up for it. I hit the steam room as well and afterwords I felt amazing. My body was tired but my brain felt alive.

Week 1 Day 2
8 miles on the treadmill- This is harder than running outside and a different ball of wax. To me, running on the treadmill is a numbers game, where I find myself staring at a screen watching numbers pass and trying to zone out or focus on music. I’d rather run a trail but this gets the job done. At my gym, all the cardio machines have televisions, which is nice late at night…on an elliptical but watching a television while running makes me nauseous.

1 Mile+ in the pool -40 laps-All arms! (had to  make up for yesterday) I was worried that my legs would cramp up after running so far and immediately walking out to the pool so I let my feet rest and used just arms.
*Don’t try this at home kids! Running long distances and then jumping in the pool can earn you a full leg. That is serious business and you could easily drown. Note to self- more breaks and bananas.

Week 1 Day 3
1 mile in the pool 6 miles treadmill. I definitely rediscovering how to breathe when running at faster speeds. I normally jog with a friend outdoors or by myself all the time but at a slower pace. The treadmill makes it easy to train for wind sprints and to build speed.

Week 1 Day 4
3 elliptical 3 treadmill 1 mile pool. The elliptical feels like a cheat. While it’s low impact, it certainly easier on the lungs as well. I really have to push it to be huffing and puffing.

Week 1 Day 5 -
Rest

Week 1 Day 6 -
Rest

Week 1 Day 7
6 miles walk/run 1 mile in pool

The first week was really about seeing if I could meet my initial goal. The second week I will focus on establishing a pattern and habit and identifying weaknesses and problems.

Total: 34 Miles

Week 2

This is the week to focus on flaws and begin to make changes. I thought week 2 would be more about cracking down on diet and things but I had more obstacles in my way. I certainly ate better than last week, but being better than gross is an easy effort. The challenges that lay in the weeks ahead will require even more discipline.

This is also the final week of my boot camp and pilates classes, so I’ll have to plan to make up for those workouts in week 3 as well.

Weigh in: 185

Week 2 Day 1
I put in six miles on the elliptical and it was way too easy and seemed almost waste of time.  Logging a mile in the pool helped me feel worked out.

Week 2 Day2
2.5 miles on the elliptical, 3.5 mile walk

Week 2 Day 3
4mile run (in the heat 80+ degrees). Hot runs are challenging and it is important to stay hydrated. You can shed some serious water weight in the heat though. I sweat so much my nick-name in almost every fitness class /group activity is “Swamp Thing.” Subsequently, I also have the nick-name “Aqua Man,”  because I am constantly carrying a huge jug of water with me where ever I roam.

Week 2 Day 4
2 mile swim (new distance record for the pool) Still need to pick up some miles. I changed up my stroke to realize how week my inner and outer thighs were. I made a few notes to really begin weight training and doing leg work outs in week 3. I am the type to set lofty goals and attempt to do too much, so the challenge for me is to pace my development to create lasting habits. So I don’t attempt to immediately solve every problem the instant I identify it.

Week 2 Day 5
5 mile walk 1 mile swim – I weighed myself and noticed no change. I chalk it up to several things: too much walking not enough runs, not enough weight lifting, too many carbs in diet and not enough green veggies.  When you are low on groceries, it is quite easy to leave out produce and protein as they are often the first to be eaten, first to go bad, and more expensive than other foods that keep well. It’s funny how many carbs are left in the cupboards long after everything else is eaten. To compensate for my lack of proper nutrition I was also eating too much. I definitely need to make some changes.

Week 2 Day 6
I purchased some Dutch Chocolate, Iso-Pure protein powder on sale for $40 at GNC. It has been a while since I’ve had any kind of nutritional supplement and all I could remember about the brand is that it tastes the worst. I reviewed what I have done over the past few weeks and decided to crank up my running miles and swimming miles and use walking and the elliptical as a last resort (as opposed to first plan of attack) to getting the needed miles each day.

It’s important to drink plenty of water when you start adding in supplements, especially protein into the mix. The right amount of water will ensure that you don’t get sore, don’t fall asleep, and you don’t become dehydrated or sick. After chasing this program, I realized I was over indulging on opportunities to eat junk foods and not purchasing enough healthy foods. I remembered

Week 2 Day 7

I often get asked about how I stay motivated to stay fit. My not-so-secret method is that I put forth a real effort into connecting to my health and fitness, in as many ways as I possibly can, to my happiness and everything I wish to achieve. I constantly find subtle ways to remind myself of the interdependencies between my health,fitness, and my happiness & productivity. One of the most under-utilized, under-appreciated and most important tool I use: a fitness journal. Here are some tips to add value to your journal and help you become aware of how your health and fitness play a significant role in your overall well being.

1. Don’t call it a workout journal!- If reduced to being thought of as merely notes of reps and sets, a journal is as pleasing to think of or look at as a math book. Give it substance and value by thinking all-around fitness and health. Put some words and thoughts behind all those numbers. There aren’t any rules or boundaries! This is about you, what you are doing and what you can do! It should be as much a trophy and motivational resource as it is a measuring stick.

2. Record what you do during your workouts.

This is the traditional how much you lift and how many times. This is where most people leave off and eventually, often enough stop writing in their journal. Why? Math is boring? No. There is more to creating value and convincing ourselves than writing down numbers alone.

3. Write down more than the math.

It’s important to track your weight and reps but there is more to your overall fitness and health than just the numbers. Write down how you feel, or what hurts and when it hurts.

4. Record what you do in addition to your workouts.

There are plenty of things that go on during your workout beyond reps and sets. Keep track of water intake/pre-workout routines. Make note of when you are board or taking too long to recover.

5. Create your own 5 star rating system for workouts and food

Example Workout Ratings: 5-extreme,4-great,3-good, 2-pick it up, 1-WTF

Write down workouts you consider to be a good, great and extreme workout. Try to stick to the 3-5 star rating for every day. Sometimes I have one too many WTF down days and make it up with an extreme workout. Perhaps the best part about creating your own workout rating system is that you’ll have a hard time rationalizing yourself out of what you need to do because you set your own rating based on your own workout standards, so it is based on things you know can do! If you are doing an extreme workout everyday and you aren’t dropping weight or getting stacked, maybe it’s time to redefine extreme and bump it up a couple of notches. The converse is also true. If you are stuck in a low 1-3 workout rating zone, maybe your standards are too high. Make adjustments as necessary.

Example Food Ratings 5-Bland,Raw and Gross but good for me, 4-Vegetables, fruits, lean meats, easy on carbs, 3- meat and potatoes 2-Better than fast food 1- I ate at In and Out and it was oh so good!

Write down healthy meals you eat and rate them according based on their healthiness. When you eat a 1 star meal on Monday- IE donuts and burgers and fries- compensate with 2 days of 4-5 star meals. This one requires little explanation and you likely know where your meals fit on this scale.

6. Use graphs.

Weekly graphs can show when you need to make up workouts/ increase intensity. These make it extremely apparent when you’ve had one too many WTF off days. Make it up with an extreme workout.

Monthly graphs are wonderfully motivational, visual badges of honor. They show your progress/decline so that you can compare weeks, identify trends and adjust workouts.

You can arrange your data by monitoring your weight, or as my personal preference monitor your 5 star workout rating system.

7. Create more lists:

-Things that motivate you. This way you’ll know what to grab, where to go, and what to listen to on your down days. You might think you’ll remember this stuff but when you need it most, you may not be in a mood to remember all the motivational elements.

-Things that interrupt your workout and action plans to work-around or compensate for those scenarios.

Make Checklists for your exercises. I derive a lot of satisfaction from checking an exercise from the list. Curls. Check! Here is a typical minimal entry for me. I plan my workouts and record what I’ve done or need to do. Sometimes I use a checklist to get myself through an otherwise seemingly dull workout.

8. Explain how to do exercises in your own words.

Taking time to write down how to correctly do an exercise will help you develop better awareness of what you are doing versus what your muscles should be doing. Pay attention to posture, write it down

9. Draw pictures.

Show yourself how to do it. You don’t need to be an artist to make stick figures. Keep in mind that it only needs to make sense to you. Add notes and arrows to show motions. Be sure to distinguish hands from feet and head. That one gets me everytime-no more no handed cartwheels for me

10. Write down class routines and take them home.

I’ll be the first to admit I pirate my workouts and bring the routines home. Shown above is a beginning Pilates routine that I wanted to practice at home.

11. Monitor foods that make you feel charged for your workouts.

It’s important to be aware of the connection between the food you eat and the energy that’s transferred.

12. Track your medical visits, injuries and recovery. Your doctor will thank you.

In short, the more effort you put into your fitness journal, the more value you’ll find in what you’ve been doing. The journal becomes a better trophy and your own personal reference guide to your health. You will find it harder to justify bailing on your diet or workout routine that you yourself create.

I’ve been on the mend from a recently pulled hamstring and I am sure to note how it feels after every stretch/run workout. This allows me to keep track of what helped my recovery and what hurt it.

Final Thoughts: You’re probably wondering what is a grown man doing with a Batman Journal? The answer is simply Inside every man is a playful boy yearning to explore. I enjoy embracing my inner child it keeps me energized.