Champions

CHAMPIONS ARE MADE IN THE OFF-SEASON!!!

This is a very true statement.  You cannot work your hardest and give training your all while you are preparing for a race, or a football game or any other event during the season.  The pains and fatigue cause by training your hardest would prevent you from performing your best when it's game time.  Right now, race season is over, High School football is over and Pro football will be over in a few weeks.  Now is the time to start training for the 2013 season.  Get in the gym and hit the weights, get out and run or just get up and play with your kids.  Do whatever it takes to make 2013 a healthier and fitter year than 2012 was.  I know I will be.

Ron

December 2102 Update

So I have not posted on my blog in quite a while since my race season ended in October.  Since the end of the race season, I have focused mostly on weight lifting and gaining strength.  This has been a double edged sword for me.  I have definitely gained strength but at the same time I have all so gained several pounds.  My main goal is to lean down but the weight lifting is just adding to my weight.  I am going to try a new approach.  I will focus on my cardio such as running and biking but all so continue to lift a moderate amount of weight.  Ideally I would like to maintain the gains I have made in strength but lean down my body and drop some pounds.  We'll see how this goes.

Ron

Midwest Super Spartan Part 2: Race Day

So, after running the Hurricane Heat the night before, I woke up at 6 am and started to get ready for the race.  I had a few bumps and bruises but other than that I was relatively rested for the race.  I wore a pair of compression underwear and Nike Dri-fit shorts with an Under Armour compression long sleeve shirt and a Under Armour Dri-fit short sleeve shirt on top.  I wore a pair of Smartwool socks and my Nike Air Pegasus 28's running shoes and my Camelbak 2L hydration pack.  I'll tell you how all the gear held up later on.

I got to the race site at about 7 am after having a decent breakfast at the hotel (This was the first time I've actually had time to get a decent breakfast before an OCR).  I always take too long getting ready.  It was only in the low 30's when I walked into the gathering area.  I waited as long as possible to check my back and remove my pants and hoodie so as to stay as warm as possible.  I had a few minutes to stand by the fire pit before heading to the starting line.  I got in a decent stretch near the fire pit and at the starting line but had to keep jumping around and flexing in order to keep the muscles loose.

The race started as they usually do.  The MC got everyone pumped up and we ran off through the smoke and into the woods.  It started off with everyone packed close together and I was right in the middle of it for the first mile but then started to slow a bit since my lungs were not yet used to the cold air.  My legs were still sore from the night before and were feeling a bit tight.  I honestly cannot remember the order of the obstacles we faced or even how far it was in between those obstacles.  All I know is none of the obstacles created by Dirt Runner or by Spartan Race compared with the cold.  That was the biggest obstacle for me and I am not usually affected by the cold.

The course was very slick in some spots and I saw several people go down in the first 10 minutes.  I myself didn't start to fall until halfway through when cold and fatigue were setting in.  I managed all of teh obstacels with the exception of the one where you have to jump from log to log that are standing on end and the rope climb.  The rope climb was in 4-7 ft of water depending on which rope you chose.  Of course I got the one in 7 ft of water.  My body went numb once I got in the water and I couldn't muster the strength to pull myself up so I did my burpees.

There was quite a bit of running on this course and it was not nearly as hilly as some of the other courses I have run but the cold was a definite factor.  I made decent time for the most part, except for where there were lines backed up at the obstacles.  I ended up with a finishing time of 3:17:57.  I was hoping to come in under 3 hours and I thought that I did.  I have heard accounts from others that kept their time independent of the timing chips and said that there was a difference between the 2 times.  But that is my official time.

In hindsight, I have no real regrets as to how I ran my race.  I wish it was a little warmer for the race but you cant control the weather.  Next year I plan on being more prepared.  On the bright side, with my finish of the Midwest Super, I completed my Spartan Trifecta and earned my medal.  With this race, my racing season is over and I will now go into full on training mode for next year.  I still want to lose another 20 lbs and I hope that will help my times for next year.


List of obstacles at the Midwest Super.....

Rope Climb in water
Over Unders with Logs
Over, Under, Throughs with walls
Hercules Pull
Tractor Pull
Log Balance Beam over water
More Log balance Beams
Sandbag Carry
2 Barbed Wire crawls
Inverted angled wall climbs
8 ft walls
Log hill Climb
Gladiator Pit

Gear...

Under Armour Compression Underwear - Washed clean, no damage
Nike Dri-Fit Shorts - Washed Clean, No damage - 4th OCR
UA Compression long Sleeve - Washed Clean, no damage
UA - Short Sleeve Dri Fit Shirt - Washed clean, small hole from barbed wire on shoulder
Smartwool Socks - No damage, washed clean
Nike Air Pegasus 28's - Washed somewhat clean, no damage.  Does not have adequate grip for OCR's.
Camelbak - Washed clean(as always), no damage


Ron

Midwest Super Spartan Part 1: Hurricane Heat

OK, so now that I've had a week to heal and warm up I think I can finally put the Midwest Super Spartan into words.  This was by far the most challenging race I have done to date.  The obstacles provided by the Dirt Runner course were awesome and the extra obstacles built by Spartan Race were equally challenging.  The cold weather provided the hardest obstacle to overcome.  It was barely above freezing when the race began at 8 am.  Not to mention the tired and sore muscles from the Hurricane Heat the night before.

The Storm is Coming.....

The Hurricane Heat was held Friday night and started just before the sun went down.  The temperature was only in the low 40's to start and only got colder.  We were divided into 5 teams of 16.  After starting off on the Chicago Spartan's team, I moved over to the Corn Fed team because they were short a member.  We started off with 30 burpees, as usual.  Spartan Race loves their burpees.  Our first task was that each team had to build a fire pit.  Each fire pit had to have at least 12 seats around it and a full stock of firewood nearby.  The Corn Fed group divided up into 2 teams to start.  One team had to grab buckets and haul gravel from a pile about 50 yards away and make the base of the pit.  The other team, of which I had the great misfortune of being on, had to comb over a nearby field full of pieces of concrete to create the sides of the fire pit and the seats.  After there was enough gravel, those people started gathering the firewood from a central pile.  It took roughly 30 minutes to build our fire pits an I have to say that the Corn Fed Fire pit was the prettiest one of the five.

After the fire pits were constructed, we moved off into the woods, not to return again until the very end.  I am not going to go over all the details of the Hurricane Heat because I believe it is something to be experience first hand and not by word of mouth.  Needless to say, I loved every grueling minute of it and was in good company the entire time.  At the end of the Hurricane Heat, we got to sit around one of the fire pits that we created to get warm and enjoy a little bit of conversation before claiming out Hurricane Heat dog tag and T-shirts.  I must say, that most of the time, as was the case here, I enjoyed the Hurricane Heat more than the race itself because of the people I get to meet and the friends that I make.  If you ever get the chance to do the Hurricane Heat, especially the night before the race, please don't deprive yourself of the opportunity.

Ron

Carolinas Spartan Beast

So Saturday October 13th was my birthday.  A week before I had no real plans and was just looking forward to spending the weekend with my wife and maybe to go see a movie.  That all changed when I talked to a friend online, Jay Tea, and he convinced me to do the Carolina's Spartan Beast with less than a week to prepare.  I quickly spoke to my wife and signed up for the event and began my planning for the logistics.

Because of the last minute nature of the event for me, I was unable to train most of the week because I had to get everything ready for the trip.  So that meant no weight training, no running, nothing at all in the way of training for the week leading up to the Beast.  And if you have read my previous blog posts, you would know that I have spent the last month weight training and had gained 7 lbs of muscle, which I now had to carry for 13 miles of obstacles.

We started our drive to Winnsboro, SC from Chicago, IL at 4 am on Friday Oct, 12th.  The drive took my wife and I through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and finally South Carolina.  Since we were in a hurry to get to our destination, we didn't stop to do any sight seeing.  The only stops we made were for food and gas.  We pulled into town around 6:30 in the evening just as the sun was starting to go down.  We were originally going to camp at the location for the race but decided to get a hotel room last minute.

So now on to the race.  I wanted to get to the race in time to run the 9:30 heat with Jay Tea, but we were delayed getting through the line for parking and I still had to get my race pack.  This was my own fault and not at all Spartan Races fault.  I should have allowed myself more time.  I got to the start line at 9:45.  Just in time to watch Team XTREME start the race.  I am a huge fan of theirs and believe strongly in their mission to bring to light the adversities that our wounded and maimed veterans have to deal with on a daily basis.  If you get a chance, check out their facebook page or their website.

Since I missed the 9:30 heat, I joined in on the 10 am heat.  The MC did a great job of pumping up the runners and the crowd, with repeated calls of "AROO" and "I am a Spartan", and with the last call, we were off.  I knew immediately out of the gates I was unprepared for this race.  My lungs were unused to running in the colder morning air since I had only done 1 or 2 cool weather runs so far this year.  They started burning almost immediately. My legs were tight and not moving smoothly because of the 14 hour drive the day before.  I pushed through the discomfort knowing that eventually it would all go numb and I wouldn't feel it anyway.

The first obstacles that I came to were crawling under saw horses with netting over the top.  There were 3 of them and each one got progressively shorter.  I breezed through those just like everyone else.  The next obstacles were only a hundred yards away and they were the over, under, through.  You jumped over a 4 ft wall, then under the next wall, and then through a hole in the last wall.  There were 2 sets of these.

After that point the obstacles all become a little hazy and the order in which they were done is a little mixed up in my head.  After the over, under, through's, we went into the woods and the hills began.  The hills were practically never ending.  Or at least that's what it felt like.  Sometime early on, within the first 2 miles, I met up with Zach.  He and I didn't know each other, but we were both running alone and just kind of fell into place with each other.  It's a long race and it helped to have someone to pass the time with.

We continued on together and I found the terrain extremely difficult.  As soon as you get to the bottom of one hill, you were headed up another.  Some were pretty steep, others not so much.  Many of them were quite rocky and there were a lot of single track trails.  At some point later in the race, Zach and I decided on a strategy to hike up the hills and run down them and to try and run as much as possible on the flat spots(which there were not to many of).  I lost track of the number of hills, all I know is it was a lot.  At some point towards the end there was a very long creak/river bed that we walked down for at least 3/4 of a mile.  It wasn't so difficult but it did produce a lot of pebbles and sand in my shoes which rubbed quite painfully.  Once we go out of the river bed i had to stop and clean out my shoes several times.

Here is a list of the obstacles that I can remember and whether or not I completed it.

2 Rope climbs - 1 completed 1 failed

2 vertical Cargo Net climbs - Both Completed

1 Pyramid Cargo Net - Completed

2- 70lb concrete ball carries - both completed

1 Hercules high pulley - completed

2 sets of Over, Under, Through's - Completed

1 Sandbag Carry Uphill/Downhill - Completed

2- 7 ft walls - Completed

2- 8 ft walls - Completed

2 Barbed Wire Crawls - Completed

1- 45 degree angle wall - Completed

1 Wall Traverse - Completed

1 Javelin Throw - Failed

1 Rope Traverse - Failed

These obstacles were not in the proper order but are pretty accurate.  There may be more that I am not remembering right now, or may have suppressed memories of.  This was by far the most difficult race I have attempted and completed to date.  The terrain alone would have been enough to test even the best runners but along with the obstacles, made for a true test of my abilities.  I found out what my weaknesses were and what I need to work on.  I finished the race with a time of 6:29, which was unacceptable to me and below my standards.  I know I can do better.  I cant wait until my next race which is the Midwest Super on Oct 27th so that I can redeem myself a little.  Stay tuned for the results of that race.

Ron

Strength and Weight Gain

So I stepped on my scale for the first time in a few weeks and was disappointed that I had gained back a little weight.  I was 240 lbs a few weeks ago and weighed in at 247 last night.  at first I was quite disappointed and a little upset about this.  After thinking on it for a while I understand why I gained some of the weight back.  I have not been running as much since my last half-marathon and have been doing much more heavy weight lifting.  I know I have gained quite a bit of muscle but my diet has all so been suffering.

I have increased my 1 rep max for bench press and am now at around 305 lbs.  I have all so increased my squat weight.  I am now squatting 315 lbs for 8 reps and 3 sets.  As far as my diet goes though, I have been taking in far too much sugar and simple carbs.  I have decided to cut out as much sugar out of my diet as possible, except fruit.  I am all so going to make a concerted effort to eliminate a good amount of simple carbs from my diet.  No bread, pasta has to be wheat or whole grain, no candy or ice cream.  Good thing I finished off that container of Chunky Monkey ice cream.  No more temptation.

I know my wife supports me in this.  She is much better about managing her diet than I am.  I know what needs to be done, I am just weak when it comes to food.  I am hoping that with these changes and keeping a strict workout regimen I will be able to drop down to 225 lbs by the end of the year.  I am not overly confident of this, since that only gives me 3 months but I will do my best.

Ron

Back to Work

So I've not been to the gym much over the past 2 weeks for various reasons.  My wife's grandmother passed away and we had to attend the wake and Funeral.  Then my wife got sick, then I got sick.  Now I am finally feeling better so I can get back into the gym and throw some weights around.  I have the Monster Dash 5k with my wife on Oct 21st and the Super Spartan on Oct 27th.  I really need to get in some quality time at the gym to be ready for the Super Spartan.  Cant wait.

Ron

Chicago Half Marathon

On Sunday, Sept 9th I ran the 16th annual Chicago Half Marathon.  I was lucky because I was not originally planning to run this race due to the cost but I was lucky and my company covered my registration.  

I headed out to the race around 5:15 in the morning and managed to get there around 5:45 only to realize that I had forgotten my race bib at home.  Cursing the whole way, I turned around and sped back home grabbed my bib and sped back to the race.  Of course by this time there was a lot of traffic trying to park at the Museum of Science and Industry.  I managed to get parked and make it to the start line with 10 minutes to spare.

The race wet off beautifully.  The weather was perfect.  It was around 60 degrees at the start of the race just as the sun was coming up over Lake Michigan.  I was dealing with other issues around that time as well.  I was fielding text messages from my sister-in-law because my wife's step-grandmother had been rushed to the hospital and died shortly after.  So I was trying to get a hold of my wife who was still at home sleeping with no success.  I debated whether or not to run the race at that point, wondering if I should go home and get my wife.  Then I decided that the best way to honor those that are gone is to live your life to the fullest.  What better reminder that we have a limited time on Earth.  So I decided to stay and run the race.

The race started promptly at 7 AM and we were on our way.  I liked the start of the race because it was not a staggered start.  I was in the G corral, but there was no stopping and waiting after each corral.  I crossed the start line at around the 3:36 mark I think.  It was a bit of a slow start because everyone was bunched up, and I feel that I was started a little too far back with runners that were slower than I.  Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fast distance runner.  I generally aim for a 10 minute mile.  But I was passing a lot of people quite easily in the beginning.  

I was feeling good.  Much better than I had for the past week when I was out running.  In fact I was quite surprised and how light I felt and the amount of energy I had.  The first 3 miles passed easily and I was even ahead of my projected 10 minute pace.  At around the 5 mile mark, I slowed down and grabbed a cup of Gatorade from the Aid Station (there were Aid Stations every mile or mile and a half), gulped that down and then grabbed a cup of water.  I pulled my GU pack out of my belt pouch and ate it quickly and washed it down with the water.

At the end of the 75 yards or so that the Aid Station was set up on, I started back off at a slow jog.  I gradually gained speed again and at the next mile marker (6) I saw that I had lost around a minute off my time, but was still ahead of my 10 min/mile pace.  I continued on until the 10 mile marker where I had to slow down and walk for a bit because I was starting to feel cramping in my quads.  I pulled up on the side of the road and stretched my legs for a minute, working out the kinks that were forming.  

After a minute of stretching I started back up again at an easy pace and made it to the 12 mile mark before slowing down one last time for the Aid Station.  I drank my last cup of Gatorade and a washed the taste out with some water.  I didn't wait until the end of the aid station to start running again.  By this time my quads were burning and it seemed like I could not get enough air.  I pushed on and when the finish line came into sight picked up the pace a little bit.  I crossed the finish line at the 2:16:31 mark.  Minus the extra time it took me to cross the start line, I finished in 2:12:52.  A new personal best for the Half Marathon.

The entire race, aside from pushing myself mentally, I would constantly think about my wife's Step-Grandmother.  Her death that morning made me think of the other people in my life that I have lost.  Mostly my grandparents, of which all are now dead, a friend from grammar school, people I went to high school with, close and distant relatives.  Along the route I would see disabled veterans missing limbs but proud nonetheless, elderly people supporting there friends and family, young children and overweight individuals.  Most of these people probably wish they could be doing what I was doing, even if it was just at a snails pace.  Some may even be training for it but were not ready yet, either physically or mentally.  I always keep these people in my mind while I am running my races.  These are the people that inspire me to keep going.  To run faster and longer than I normally would.  The pain in my legs and the burning in my lungs seems paltry in comparison to the struggles that many of these people deal with on a daily basis.  It is to these people that I attribute my success that day in beating my previous time by almost 17 minutes.  To the veterans who defended our nation and the men and women that still do, to the EMT's, police and Firefighters that help make these events safe, the organizers and runners, I say thank you.

Ron

Chicago Half Marathon Prep

So I'm running the Chicago Half Marathon on Sunday and I do not feel prepared.  I went for a 4.5 mile run last night and it felt like I was running through quick sand and breathing through a gas mask.  I hope it was just the humidity in the air.  Still, I managed a personal best for a 5k at 22 minutes.  Overall I ran a 7 minute mile.  That's a really good time for me.  Not sure how I did it.  I still have today, Thursday and Friday for real training and only a short run on Saturday to keep the legs loose.  For some reason I feel less prepared for this Half marathon than I did for the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon I did in July.  Maybe I am just over thinking it.  Guess I'll see on Sunday.

Ron

Off the Wagon-On the Wagon

So much for my 100 push ups a day challenge.  Had a bit of a problem the day after I was supposed to start.  I tweaked a muscle in my neck and had to take a few days off from working out.  After a few days rest I got back into the gym and was lifting heavy during a chest and tri workout and re-aggravated it.  So now this week I have not been to the gym or been out running since Sunday.  Well today I am going back to the gym and running and I am hitting it hard.  You can't succeed in life or in fitness if you are not willing to push yourself further than you did the day before.  I am looking forward to hitting the gym again and getting after it.  I have goals to meet and ass to kick.

Ron

100 Push-Ups Per Day Challenge

So I'm Bored again and need something to keep me busy other than the usual workouts.  With that in mind I have decided to start a new 30 day challenge for myself.  I will be doing a minimum of 100 Push-Ups per day for the next 30 Days.  This will be on top of my normal workouts.  Not to mention I all so have a Half Marathon that I am training for, so this should be interesting.  After all is said and done, I should have completed at least 3,000 Push-Ups between now and September 23rd.  As usual I will keep track of my progress on a page on my blog.  I encourage everyone to all so set a goal for themselves.  It doesn't have to be 100, and it doesn't have to be Push-Ups.  Choose an exercise that you know you have been neglecting and get to it.  Set a reasonable goal for yourself and keep pushing until you reach it.

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Chicago Half Marathon

So I found out today that I will be running the Chicago Half Marathon on September 9th.  I am very excited.  This will be my 2nd half marathon and I am hoping to improve my time of 2 hours and 30 minutes from last time.  This is all thanks to my company, which I cannot name, for providing the registration that I otherwise could not have purchased.  This means I will be rededicating myself to running faster and longer for the next month while all so trying to maintain my weight lifting schedule.  This should be tough, but totally worth every pain and sore muscle.

Ron

No Races....Muscle Time

So, unfortunately, I have no more races scheduled until the Midwest Super Spartan on October 27th.  I am waiting to hear back from my company as to whether or not they will cover my registration for the Chicago Half Marathon on September 9th.  My wife and I are considering running the Monster Dash in Chicago in October as well but so far I have nothing that I am officially registered for until the Spartan Race so I have started back with a heavy weight lifting and lower cardio regimen for the next month or 2, or at least till I hear about another race that requires training and preparation.

For my weightlifting, I have almost always put together my own routines but this time I decided I would go with some routines that are ready to go and all I have to do is the work.  I started researching Mike Chang's Six Pack Shortcuts product and I will admit, I am interested.  Before I commit to purchasing them however, I decided that I would use some of his videos that he has already uploaded to YouTube.

I have done a few of his workouts and I will say I am impressed.  They genuinely push me and I could feel a difference.  The first day I did 3 of his workouts.  Back, Shoulders and Biceps.  I was feeling the after effects for 2 days.  I put my wife through a more total body version of his workouts and she was smoked by the end.  I will admit I was impressed with the workouts and with his instruction.  (found out I was doing Dead-lifts improperly this whole time).

The following videos are the 3 workouts that I did.  I will be doing his Chest workout today along with triceps.

Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon

On Sunday I competed in the Chicago Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon and I have to say, this was probably one of the most challenging runs I have ever done.  It was the longest distance I have ever run and it was warm and humid.  My previous personal best for distance was 10 miles.  A half marathon for those that don't know is 13.1 miles.

My wife and I went to the XSport Health and Fitness Expo on Friday to pick up my race packet and I immediately hit a snag.  Some how I was put into the first corral.  Now I like to fancy myself a good runner but I am by no means a fast runner.  The guy handing out the packets took one look at me and asked "how fast were you planning on running?"  I replied that I was planning on about a 10 minute mile.  He laughed and said I was gonna get killed in that corral.  I laughed in return and told him I was just as surprised to be in the first corral.  I walked over to the table for corral changes and the women there laughed as well.(good thing I have thick skin and can laugh at myself).  I didn't have to change my official corral number but I did decide to move back to the 10th corral.

We walked around the expo for about an hour.  It wasn't big as I expected but the venders and sponsors they had were all very good.  I got to see all the medals that the Rock'n'Roll series has and I was impressed. I all so saw all the medals for the Disney World and Disney Land runs, and again was very impressed.  I now have new goals on the horizon.

Anyway, the race itself started at 6:30 am on Sunday morning.  The race was very well organized and they have water, bananas and bagels at the starting area for the runners.  They were all so handing out salt packets because it was supposed to be a very warm day (pushing the mid 90's).

At the start, the first corral was allowed to go and there was around a minute wait in between each start.  At the 10th corral I started about 7-10 minutes after the first.  the course was well laid out and they had traffic management people at every intersection.  There were a number of points along the way where they had band stands set up with live music for the runners.  XSport Fitness all so had people out on th course cheering on the runners.  there were water, cooling and aid stations every 1 1/2 miles as well as port-o-potties along the rout for the runners.

The course took the runners all around downtown Chicago as well as quite a distance west of the downtown area.  Having lived in Chicago all my life, I was surprised to see neighborhoods I had never seen before.  I was a little surprised at the number of spectators that came out to cheer on their runners.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading a lot of the signs.  One woman I saw at a few points along the way was holding a sign that read "Do Epic Shit".  I liked that one.  She had a bike with her and must have been riding ahead.

The best part was once we turned down Lake Shore Drive for the lat 2 miles of the race.  The whole area was lined with spectators cheering people on.  The Finish line was in Grant Park and by the time I finished, was filled with people.  I crossed the finish line and immediately spotted the friends that I had come with.  I made my way through the crowd picking up my finishers medal and a lot of free food and drinks.  Gatorade, Chocolate milk, water, pretzels, fruit cup, banana, Jamba Juice and a towel soaked in ice water were a few of the things given to the finishers.  I got my finishers photo taken and headed to the area to reunite with the spectators.

Since I had done the Muddy Buddy the day before, I qualified for the Rock'n'Mud Challenge Medal as well as a special lunch.  I got the Medal and the "Special" lunch.(2 subway sandwiches).  We walked around the vender area, picking up all the freebies, stretched and then headed home.

All in all, I would say the race was very well executed, the course was amazing with great scenery and support by race officials and spectators alike.  All the runners that I saw were courteous of each other and would give words of encouragement to racers that needed it.  I will definitely be running this race again next year and if possible, others in the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon series in other cities.  Well done Rock'n'Roll Marathon Series and XSport Fitness on a great race.

Muddy Buddy

This past weekend I competed in the Muddy Buddy and the Rock'n'Roll Half marathon to complete the Rock'n'Mud Challenge.

Muddy Buddy

The Muddy Buddy I did with my wife, Raquel, and we had a great time.  Aside from the heat, everything else was fun and challenging.  The race was 4.5 miles long with 12 o"obstacles."  The obstacles themselves were not very difficult for myself and Raquel was able to do all the obstacles without any help except for the rope climb.  Other than that she dominated all the obstacles.  There were only 2 real hills but they were steep and took a lot out of you when going up them.  I was a little disappointed that there were only 2 mud pits and the first one wasn't until the half-way point.  The first one was like crawling through clay it was so thick, and the other mud pit was at the very end and it was more like a water pit with dirt mixed in.  All in all the race was well executed and a lot of fun for Raquel and I.  We are already planning on signing up for it again next year.  I would recommend this race for beginner and intermediate obstacle course racers looking to have a good time.  This would not be a challenging course for advanced OCR'ers but still fun either way.

5k a day Challenge Finished

So it took me a while to write this because, honestly, I was lazy.  My 5k a Day Challenge ended July 1st and it was a success and failure at the same time.  I managed to complete the minimum miles required by the challenge but failed to meet my personal goal of 100 miles.  I finished with 96.45 miles.  Now many people would say, "you only had 3.5 miles let, why didn't you finish?", and I asked myself that question as well.  The entire month of June my legs were in pain.  My body was not accustomed to running so much.  I usually average around 50 miles per month.  So I almost doubled my mileage for June.  That's a lot to do.  I fought shin splints and knee pain from wee 2 till the end.  That being said, I am proud of myself for completing the task that I set myself to and would fully recommend others do the same.  Set a goal for yourself and finish it.  It is a very fulfilling feeling.  Now that this is over, it;s time for a new pair of running shoes.  My Nike Air Pegasus +28's have served me well but are way over the mileage that they should be replaced at.  They will be retired to the walking and OCR shoe pile and the oldest pair will be donated at the next race.  I will follow up this article with a review of my Air Pegasus +28's as well as whatever new pair of shoe I get.

Ron

Ouch!

So I was running on the treadmill yesterday and was cruising along when at around the 3 mile mark all of a sudden had a sharp pain in my right calf. Not sure what it was. I am hoping it was just a pull and not a tear. Does not seem to be swollen at all and most of the pain is gone. Just some soreness. Either way, I will be running again tonight. I was going to run outside in the heat, cause I love it, but I think I will do the treadmill again in case of any mishaps. Only 4 days left on my 5K a Day Challenge. I need at least 16 miles between today and Saturday. Even if I have to do it on one leg.


Ron

Raquel's Monday Morning Update

Good morning everyone its Monday….blah! Not really much to blog about today but I did have a break from work/gym and got a lot of well needed sleep. I was a total tired mess that even Ron was telling me I needed a vacation from the gym. Rested my muscles and now I’m back into beast mode (hopefully, okay maybe lil beast mode lol) I got a lot of training coming my way with the Muddy Buddy I’m doing with Ron this July I need to do my very best and with a bit of luck finish at a good/decent time.

I don’t plan on doing a weigh in until July 31^st, where I will be taking a new picture with measurements as well. I really want to go into fall 2012 being lighter and fitter! Please wish me luck I’m going to need it!

See yea in July,

Raquel  

Sunday Fun

So Sunday I was on my own for much of the afternoon because my wife was spending time with her dad and I decided to make the most of it and get in a good workout.  I went to the gym and got in a killer workout of Chest, Tri's and Shoulders for a little over an hour.  After that was over, I went home, had a couple spoonfuls of all natural peanut butter to sate my appetite with a glass of water, then headed out for a run.

I headed out for what was supposed to be a light run since it was the middle of the afternoon and 90 degrees.  I made the first mile and my thirst was really kicking in because the air was very dry, almost no humidity.  At the mile 2ish mark, I stopped in at a Walgreens to get a bottle of water, thank God I was smart enough to bring my debit card.  After a few swigs of cold water, I felt refreshed and ready to go so i decided to go longer.  I headed down a road that I knew there was no turn around for at least a mile(I dont like to run the same route back).

I made it to the 4 mile mark and started back home.  By this time, I was getting tired.  My workout earlier and the heat were starting to catch up to me.  by now I was down to my last few ounces of water and it was warm(not very refreshing).  I pushed through the wall and kept moving.  The faster I could get home, the faster I could take a cool shower and chug some water.  So I got to a point where I knew I was only about a mile from home and I was completely drained.  I stopped and walked for about 2 minutes to regain some energy and then finished my run out.

When I walked into the door of my house and felt  the A/C, it was almost a euphoric feeling.  I was spent.  Unfortunately, my run had taken me longer than I anticipated and I had to rush to get ready to pick up my wife.  So I chugged a few glasses of water, ate a banana and hit the shower.  I didn't get to eat for another 2 1/2 hours.  I would not recommend this.  I was very sluggish and unfocused.  Once I got a decent meal everything was fine.  I am looking forward to my next run in the heat.  Might have to go shirtless next time though, I got one hell of a farmers tan going on now.

Ron

Too Much Running?

So I've been doing my 5K a Day Challenge for 20 days now with 10 to go and I have been having problems with my legs.  As a runner I know that any kind of distance running is usually followed with some type of pain or soreness, but my shins are killing me.  There are times that after a run my shins are throbbing.  I am constantly having to fight through soreness in my right knee and shin while running just to finish a 5K.  I am now 5 miles behind and will have to make those miles up.

Yesterday I gave myself a rest because I was exhausted from work and working out all the time.  I can't wait for this challenge to be over.  There is no medal or recognition.  Just the sense of pride of finishing what I started.  But once it's over, I'm not running for a week.  Gotta give my legs a chance to truly heal and recover from the abuse.  I am hoping that this challenge would have helped me lose a few extra pounds this month.  I guess we'll see on July 1st.

In the mean time, just gonna keep on chuggin along.  I am going to try and hit 5 miles tonight to help make up some of the miles I am behind on.  Better get the ice pack and ibuprofen ready.

Ron

5K a Day Challenge Update

Ok, so it's now June 14th and just about halfway through my challenge.  I am about a mile behind where I should be for the month but I am still going strong.  I've been having issues with my legs hurting, mostly in the shins and my right knee so I started taking ibuprofen in the mornings and after my runs to take down the inflammation.  Not gonna lie, can't wait for this challenge to end so I can take a few days off and recuperate.

On a side note, my wife and I recently took new photos for our weight loss journey.  To be honest, she looks a hell of a lot better than I do.  The first set of pics we took looked like crap cause of lighting and a crappy camera.  She retook her pics with her iPhone and they came out great, maybe I need to do the same.  Unfortunately my measurements have not changed much over the past few months so I obviously need to change something up.  Most likely my diet.  I hate dieting.  I like food and I like to eat what I want but after a talk with my wife, I guess there is no getting around it.  I am going to have to cut out all the bad stuff.  So from now on I will be attempting to follow a more strict diet and see if I can get under 240 lbs and stay there.

Right now I am hovering around 240lbs.  My goal is to be around 225 lbs by the end of the year.  I will be experimenting with different regimens of weight lifting and cardio in order to lean down more without losing too much muscle mass.  Suggestions are welcome.  I will post another update about this in 2 weeks to keep myself accountable.

Ron

Raquel: Work in Progress Results

Hello readers, I just wanted to put up some info about my journey so far. It’s been a difficult one but I’m making it. I decided I was going to take some current pictures of myself to show my results since I first started back in 2011. Well, thanks to a bad camera and terrible lighting they came out awful!!! But thanks to my Iphone, a bedroom mirror and some confidence I managed to take 3 new pictures. I also took my measurements on my total body to see how many inches I’ve lose since day one. Check out the chart below. 

	1-11-11	6-12-12
Waist	39”	29”
Chest	38”	35”
Neck	13”	11 ½”
Thigh	27”	24 ½”
Calf	16”	15”
Arms	13”	11 ½”
Hips	51”	41”
Weight	188 LBS	143 LBS

In total I lost a total of 29 1/2” and 45 pounds! Not bad huh?! Seeing all of this makes me really proud of what I have accomplished so far. I’m still working very hard and started to try new workout and been lifting a lot more than I have in the past year. Getting toned and tightening up what jiggles. Don’t worry I’m still doing my cardio (running, biking, etc). I know what my trouble spots and weaknesses are and I plan to make that a thing of the past and become stronger!

Thanks for reading!

Raquel
1/11/2011                                                                               6/14/2012

                                                                   

                                                           

Raquel's Weight Loss Journey

So my wife, Raquel, asked me if she could write a blog entry about her weight loss journey.  Of course I said yes.  So here is my wife's story....

It’s been really difficult writing this entry about my-self.  I’ve been thinking about how I would even start writing about my weight loss journey because it’s not been an easy one. So I’ll start from the beginning. When I was a kid I never had issues with being overweight I was always a skinny little girl and I stayed like that all through grammar, middle, and even high school. I never had to worry about looking great in my clothes or having to deal with mean kids in school making fun of me cause of my weight. When high school ended I started dating Ron and that’s pretty much when the weight gain started. I would never blame him for it but then you are young and fall in love the pounds start adding on. All we both wanted to do was hang out with each other, eat pizza and junk food all the time. There was no eating healthy or being active.

Slowly through the years I started getting heavier and heavier. Size 10 went to a 13, then 13 went to a 18. We were both out of control with our eating. When we both moved in together it was a sitting on the couch watching T.V. or playing computer games and eating junk all day every day. Was it awesome, sure it was! Did I like the way I looked? No. It felt like I was wearing a heavy suit.  I did not look like my-self or feel like my-self. Nothing fit and going to the stores and trying on clothes was the worst.  I would try on jeans and just cry in the dressing room. I would storm out with tears in my eyes pissed off at my-self.  When Ron and I planned to get married we both jumped on the “getting fit for the wedding” bandwagon. We joined a gym and both got personal trainers. I hated it, I tried and failed. I did not lose a size or a pound. It was so hard to focus on planning a wedding and working out/eating right. I put the blame on my-self because I did not have the willingness to change my life.

We got married on Nov 7^th 2009. It was a beautiful wedding, but Ron and I were at our heaviest. I look at those photos today and think “oh my god”. As time went on I continued to do nothing about my weight. I went into a depression where I would just stay in bed and cry. Cry about how I hated myself. How I hated the way I looked, that I was “fat” and how could Ron love and want to be with me? How could he think I was attractive now when he knew how I used to look? I could not even look in the mirror, I hated my body, hated everything I became. This was not me. I knew I had to do something because my weight was just getting out of control and I really wanted to be happy again.

During the end of 2010 I decided to finally make a serious decision about doing a total life change. I went back to the gym and started eating healthy. It was extremely hard! There was nothing easy about getting your ass to the gym and to top it off eating healthy! Oh my god! But it was working 10 pound lost then 20 and so on.  During the summer of 2011, I started to add running into my routine. One of the best things I’ve ever done. That winter I signed up for my first 5k. I ran and completed the Santa Hustle. In January I completed the 5k Polar Dash in snowy cold Chicago! In May of 2012 I completed my first obstacle mud race called the Spartan Sprint.

My start weight was 190 lbs I’m currently at 143. My jeans were an 18 now I’m a 10. All shirts went from a large/extra large to a size medium. Everyone from my family, friends and co-workers complement me on a daily basis. What a feeling it is!! Even going and trying on clothes is a breeze. I can go into a clothing store find my size and it fits and I look and feel great!

 I really have no goal weight; I would make mini goals and work to complete them. I’m still going, pushing myself every day.  This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and it’s not easy. There is no magic pill or fad diet I was on. It’s pretty amazing what you can accomplish when you have the dedication and will power. Thank you for reading!

Raquel

5K a Day Challenge

So today I have decided to challenge myself a bit.  Until the end of June, I will run a 5k or more every day.  Now in the interest of being completely open about this challenge I am posting it here before I start rather than after I finish so that I can be held accountable by my peers.  Since this is my idea, I will be counting for all 30 days of June.

Rules:
-Must run a 5 k(3.1 miles) per day minimum
-If you miss a day, the run must be made up for by the end of June.
-Must complete a minimum of 83.7 miles by June 30th(I will be trying for 93.3)
-Competitions do count so keep track of any race miles you do

Please leave a comment if you feel like trying this challenge and feel free to leave an update with your progress.

Ron

Soldier Field 10 Mile

So  Saturday, May 26th, I ran the Soldier Field 10 Mile race and I have to say, it was an awesome experience.  The race started just south of Soldier Field at the corner of Waldron And Museum campus Drive.  According to the announcers there were around 10,000 participants in the race, and every branch of the armed services were represented.  I thought this was especially nice since it was Memorial day weekend.  The announcer shared some stories with all of us of some veterans that were in attendance.  Next came the National Anthem.  Now one of my pet peeves is people who are noisy or disrespectful during the National Anthem.  Not so at this race.  The mood was boisterous but when the National Anthem started, the crowd went silent.  I have been to many sporting events both professional and amateur and have never witnessed a crowd so quiet and respectful during the National Anthem.

Race time.  Racers were divided into 15 different corrals based on projected finish time.  I was honest when I registered and was aiming for 1 hour and 40 minutes which is a 10 minute/mile so i was placed in corral #11.  Corrals 1-7 were on museum Campus Drive and corrals 8-15 were on Waldron.

At the Start, they allowed the first corral to go and then waited a minute or so before letting the next corral go.  This continued until finally my corral was called to the starting line 35 minutes after the first had started.  The race started off kind of dark and gloomy and it had been threatening to rain all morning.  The race started off kind of slow for me since I was crammed in on the road with hundreds of other people but when the crowd started to thin a bit I was able to push a little harder and make up some time.

After the first 2 miles or so my legs had loosened up quite a bit and I was making decent time.  By th e mile 5 marker though , my quads were burning and kept tightening up.  Just before the mile 5 marker was the turn around and I finally got to run with a nice lake view.  The breeze coming off the lake was cool and refreshing and helped me catch my second wind.  The trail narrowed and widened a few times and I found myself running not on the pavement but on the crushed stone on the side of the path.  It was softer and was not as jarring on my joints, plus there was less traffic.  My legs were burning but I was still keeping my pace.

At the 8 mile mark I was really feeling my legs burning.  I could have easily stopped and walked the rest of the way, but then Soldier Field came into view and filled me with adrenaline.  I figured if I saw everyone else running, I wasn't going to be the only one walking, so I kept pushing.  Finally, we got to the tunnel that was our entrance to Soldier Field.  Everyone went running through, there was high fives and cheering from all the runners.  We ran down the players tunnel that the Chicago Bears use and chills ran down my spine.  Then, I stepped out onto the field and felt the turf beneath my feat and I sped up.  I wanted to finish strong.

I crossed the finish line on the 50 yard line with a time of 1:39:13.  That was a 9:56 min/mile pace.  Right were I wanted to be.  After I crossed, exhaustion set in.  My legs didn't want to work any more and I was stumbling around.  I grabbed a bottle of water and was headed for the tunnel when I heard my wife and friend Steve.  They were sitting in the stands watching.  I walked out of the tunnel and got my finishers medal and met them off to the side.

We hung around for a while walking around and seeing what venders were ther, but I was so tired and hungry, we ended up leaving to get lunch shortly after.  It is now 3 days after the race and my legs are finally getting back to normal.  I may even be able to do some running after work.  If I have learned nothing else, it is that I need more training.  I thought I was going to breeze though this race because I have run 10 mile on my own before, but running on your own, and running in a race are very different.  I have a lot of training to do.  I hope I am not this sore after my Half-Marathon in July.

Goals: Motivation for Success

In my opinion, goals are necessary for any athlete to continue to strive for greatness.  This is true for anyone in any field.  As an athlete, if I don't have a goal to meet I find it difficult to focus my energy and attack my workouts.  With a goal, I give myself a deadline to meet and a definitive reason for achieving my fitness goals.  This is why I run races.  They give me a reason to keep training other than overall fitness and health reasons.

With all that said, I figure I should share some of my goals with everyone just to hold myself accountable.  This year will be my first Half-Marathon.  It's the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon.  I am very happy to be running this race.  Unfortunately I was unable to register for the Chicago Marathon this year because I missed the deadline.  However, one of my goals is to run the Chicago Marathon in 2013.  If the dates work out right, I would be running my first Marathon on my 30th Birthday.  To me that's pretty cool.  Another goal that I have is to complete the IRONMAN Triathlon.  This is a lofty goal, I know.  Most people train for years to complete an IRONMAN.  I am hoping to compete by 2014.  By then, I feel I will be able to get into the physical shape I need to compete and finish, but all so save the money for for the race as well as the equipment necessary.  A decent Triathlon bike costs upwards of $800 so the bike alone is an investment.  I hope you all will continue to read my posts and support me in my fitness journey.

Ron

List of my Races

So here is a list of all the races I have done thus far in my racing career.

July 2011 - Beach Palooza 5k
Oct 2011 - Midwest Spartan Sprint and Hurricane Heat
Nov 2011 - Santa Hustle 5k
Jan 2012 - Polar Dash 5k
Apr 2012 - Indiana Spartan Sprint and Hurricane Heat

Coming soon...

May 2012 - Soldier Field 10 mile
Jul 2012 - Muddy Buddy 5k Run
Jul 2012 - Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon
Oct 2012 - Midwest Super Spartan and Hurricane Heat

Transformation: Couch to OCR

My name is Ron Ermis and I love to run.  Plain and simple.
I have almost always been an active person.  I say almost always because for a long period of time before and after I got married, my wife and I would spend our evenings eating and watching TV or playing games.  My biggest downfall was World of Warcraft.  Yes, I am all so a geek.  I would work for 9 hours behind a desk and then go home, pop a pizza in the oven and play on my computer for a few hours before bed.  There was very little activity other than an infrequent trip to the gym.  After around 2 years of this, I was up to almost 280 lbs.  I was not happy with myself.  If I didn't think about it, it was easy to ignore the problems.  My knees would hurt.  Breathing was hard during any kind of physical activity.  But mostly, it was just hard to make it through the day because I was always tired.

One day, my wife and I started talking and I said I wanted to start going back to the gym on a regular basis.  We decided that we would go at least 3 times a week so we would still have time to hang out and even still play our games.  At first it was very hard to get back into the rhythm of working out regularly.  I have always enjoyed running but after a few years of sitting on my ass behind a desk and then more of the same when I came home, my stamina and conditioning had deteriorated badly.  I could only jog on the treadmill for about a half mile.  My wife all so was having a hard time of it.  Especially since she had never been an active person.  She had to learn everything.  I would work out with her once a week to help teach her the basics. But I was having a hard enough time with myself that it was hard to focus on us both at the same time.

After a month or two of working out a few times a week but not really changing our diet, we finally decided that a full on lifestyle change was needed.  We couldn't just expect to work out a few times a week and not change anything else and expect to see a huge difference.  So we cut out the junk food(for the most part), we quit playing World of Warcraft.  And we started working out four to five times a week.  We had to start cooking our own meals again.  All this had to change all while still having to work a nine hour day and an hour and a half of commute time.  At first it was very tough for us.  My wife would stress out about little things and the big things would send her over the edge.  We were constantly struggling to spend quality time together.

After a while, we began to work out a schedule that worked for us.  We would come home from work and head straight to the gym.  We would spend an hour or so at the gym getting in the best workout we could and then go home and have dinner together and then just relax for an hour before going to bed.  We still had our off days that would allow us to spend more time together or doing whatever we wanted but the gym days were set.

It has been going on like this for a year and a half now.  My wife and I both lost 40 lbs and are more active than ever.  Last July I completed my first race since high school.  I ran Beach Palooza at Montrose Beach in Chicago.  It was a 5 k race with some fun obstacles.  I finished the race in about 36 minutes and was exhausted.  After that race, I rediscovered my love of running.  I was determined to run it again in 2012 but finish with a better time and not be dying at the end.

After Beach Palooza, I saw an ad for another race.  It was called Spartan Race.  The name piqued my interest so I did some research.  I found out that there was a Spartan Race in October of 2011.  After very little thought, my competitive side kicked in and I signed up for it not really knowing what I was getting myself into.  I watched some videos, read some articles and blogs and decided this sounded like a lot of fun and would push me to the limit.  This was the goal that I needed.  I needed something to push me to train harder, longer and with more intensity.  This was the race that was going to get me into the gym on a more regular basis.  This was the race that was going to get me out of the house and running the streets of Chicago.  And it did.  I was determined not to go unprepared for this race.  Then I found out about the Hurricane Heat.

The Hurricane Heat is special heat of the Spartan Race that starts before dawn the day of the race and the employees of SR(Spartan Race) take you  out in teams of 10 - 20 people and put you through a rigorous, military style, team based event.  There is no first or last place.  No crowds of people cheering.  Just you and your team.  Only this time, for the first time, the Hurricane Heat was the night before the race.  It started at 6:30 pm, right at dusk, and continued until 10:30 pm.  This was by far the most challenging and rewarding 4 hours of my life.  I met a lot of people and learned a lot about myself and what I can do.  I am proud to say that I finished it and so did everyone else.  No one got left behind.  The next day, I still had to run my regular heat at 9 am.  I was bruised, scraped and tired from the night before but I was on time and ready for my heat.  Again this was very challenging for me but I finished with a time of 2:06.  Not bad for my First obstacle course race.

My wife thought I was nuts.  But then she did something that surprised me.  She wanted to sign up for a race too.  Now my wife has never been a runner, nor had she ever shown any interest in running.  So we signed up for the Santa Hustle 5k at Montrose Beach in Chicago.  Now keep in mind, this race was at the end of November in Chicago.  It was probably in the 40's that day and this is her first race.  I trained with my wife for the months leading up to the race and got her used to running on the pavement instead of a treadmill.  We ran the race and finished with a time of  45 minutes.  Not bad for her first competitive activity ever.  After that she was hooked too.  Since then we have run a few races together and she even ran a Spartan Race with me in Indiana.

This was the story of my journey back to physical fitness.  Now I am still a work in progress.  I am by no means a finished product.  Nor is anyone who considers themselves an athlete.  There are always new challenges to face and new goals to meet.  It's what keeps us going.  I sit behind a desk 40 hours a week.  My workouts and my races give me a chance to get out of my rut and do something different for a change.  I am lucky because I have a wife that shares my interest and works with me to reach these goals.  Stay tuned for more updates from Life In My Nikes.

Ron