Holstee Manifesto

I found this image on another bloggers site (TriSaraTops), who I used to follow a bit back in my IM days.  It is the Holstee Manifesto and I like it a lot.  I thought it would be a good thing to post here on my blog and hope that it might inspire you all.


If only I could live by the words written on it.  I will do my best to try.

The Good Week

Last week was the first week back to a routine, at least what resembled a routine.  I managed to get out and do something every single day with Thursday being a very easy day into thanks to my daughters choir practice, a late dinner and the girls getting to bed late.  I made it a point to get in exercise no matter what and I am eating healthier.  As a result I feel a heck of a lot better for it; I'm not as sore and achy as I have been the past few months, I have shed a few pounds, and I generally feel good.  Here is a breakdown of last weeks activity:

• Monday - 4 mile run
• Tuesday - 1 hour ride on trainer
• Wednesday - Soccer Game (40 minutes)
• Thursday - 30 minutes on trainer (sore from Wed night soccer
• Friday - 5.2 mile run
• Saturday - 21 mile bike ride (outside very hilly ride)
• Sunday - 4.75 mile run

In the past I have preached to my father how all he needs to do is stick with an exercise program for a minimum of two weeks (three or four is ideal).  If he could do that then it would become routine and would become easier.  I wish that I had only listened to my own advice a little more carefully.  That has been my main limiter, the fact that I haven't been in a groove, I haven't been consistent with any workouts.  I have one week under my belt and I will continue it tonight when I get home.  Granted it is going to be consistently tricky because of the baby and the other two girls, but I will find a way to make it work.

One item of note is that my wife and I (or possibly just me) are on the cusp of joining our local YMCA which would mean I would finally have a pool to swim at and would also mean that I would have a reason to get up at 5:00AM every morning to swim and/or lift weights, do a spin class, etc.  I am pretty excited and am really looking forward to joining.  The bonus to joining now is that there is no sign up fee, which is around $150.  Let's make it happen!!!

Ciao!

2012...Off to a Good Start

It is officially 2012, actually four days into the new year, and I have done pretty well with regard to starting out on the right foot (no pun intended) by heading out for a five mile run on New Year's Day, then putting in a tough hour on the trainer in the basement on the 2nd.  Yesterday was a wash because my day was booked solid from when I left the house until I walked in the door at 9:30PM.

I had really hoped to have a 2012 Plan in place for the year ahead but any plan that I might create would be doomed from the start.  It may sound like a cop out, but I am realistic about the challenges that I have before me with regard to balancing family with work and training.  The birth of my third daughter has definitely made things a bit more crazy and add to that the fact that I still haven't been able to figure out a training schedule that fits around my ever changing work schedule.  I have swung and missed whenever I have attempted to do P90X for the sole reason that the only time I can really do it is 4:30AM and that just isn't happening.  I have tried to get into a routine of running or biking every day but I feel the pull to spend time with my family when I walk in the door from work and I struggle to get at it once the girls are in bed (~9:00PM).  I know these are all excuses and I have written them over and over again throughout the past nine months. 

So, what am I going to do to change things:

1. Join a gym with a pool.  If I (with my wife) do this, I will get my butt out of bed around 5:00AM and to the gym by 5:30AM for a swim workouts, spin classes and heck maybe even YOGA!!!  I desperately need to get back into the pool and start swimming again and just get healthy.
2. The days I am not at the gym, get up and run or ride the bike in the basement.  If I can manage to get up for swimming I will do it for the other things.
3. Eat better, which I started last week.  No more soda, no more fried foods, no more doughnuts....at least until I have dropped at least 10 - 15 lbs.  Then I will treat myself to some bad stuff before getting back to dropping another 5 - 10 lbs.
4. Pick a Spring Half-Marathon to run, then lay out my summer/fall triathlon schedule.  I may just throw in some winter trail races if I feel so inclined.

So, no real semblance here, just babbling about how much I suck and how I don't have any of my crap together.  I really am going to figure it all out this year, I just have to.  I hate feeling the way that I feel right now.  My back is always sore, my legs ache and when I actually do go running my heart rate is far too high (yeah, I am that out of shape).  Enough for now, back to work.  Cheers!!!

Bad Bad Blogger

I have been horrible at writing on here lately for the simple reason that I have little time to do anything other than work, spend time with family and then when I can eke out a few minutes, actually try to exercise.  Oh how the mighty (me) have fallen.  A little recap of the past month or so:

• I ran probably eight times
• I rode my trainer probably eight times
• I have played four Wednesday night soccer games
• I have woken up sore beyond belief on four Thursday mornings
• Swimming....is that what you do in a pool, lake or ocean?  Yeah, I haven't done that since September
• I have eaten far more than my body can burn off in a day and now am closing in on a number (lbs) far to high for me

Yup, that is what I have been doing.  I am not proud of it, not at all.  I am not a New Year's Resolution-type of guy, but I might have to use that as some motivation.  I am off from work from now until January 3rd, so I am going to try to be active every day and carry that into the new year.  Strike that...I AM going to be active every day from today into the new year!!!

Other than that, everything else is going really well, the baby is eating a ton and getting big (she is not nine weeks old), my other two daughters are tremendous helpers (or they try to be), and my wife is rebounding really well from her third and final pregnancy.  We are all ready to kick off the year with a happy and healthy mind set.

Happy Holidays to everyone and here's to a tremendous 2012!

Ironman Arizona....One Year Later

Around this time last year I was running the final couple miles along Tempe Town Lake towards my first and only Ironman finish.  Tonight I am sitting in a hotel room in Richmond, VA and I just watched my Blogger friend Skip Slade finish IM Arizona in 11:47:00 (at least that is what I think it read as he finished).  It was awesome to watch a friend finish an Ironman, but deep down it really ate at me that I wasn't there doing it as well.  I am a bit depressed because I am so far removed from it, so far from any type of race shape.  A 5K would be a significant undertaking right now.

So, what am I going to do about it?  Here is my plan, my philosophy, my proposed journey:

• Tomorrow morning, November 21st - get up and go for a run.  After that, I am going to head over to the local triathlon shop, "3 Sports" (it opens at 10AM) to pick up a cheap pair of goggles and swim shorts so that I can go swimming at the YMCA adjacent to the hotel.  I am fortunate that I can use the facilities free of charge.
• Tuesday morning, November 22nd - get up early and hit the pool, and follow that up with a run.  My first appointment is at 9:30AM, so I should have plenty of time to get this all in.
• Wednesday, November 23rd (an onward) - set an off-season training program, concentrate on losing some of the excess 20 lbs I have packed on over the past year, get back into P90X, and set a race calendar for 2012.

That is what I am missing right now, a goal.  All of my life, the times when I have gained weight and lost fitness, it was because I lacked a goal...a race to train for.  I have finally gotten a handle on my business travel and I am going to take advantage of it and use it to my advantage.  There is no reason that I can't find the time to train (even with a one month old daughter at home).

So, the next question is, what is going to be my "A" race for 2012?  I already know that I want to do Ironman Arizona in 2013, but what is going to be my races for 2012?  Here are some ideas:

• Ironman 70.3 - Pocono Mountains
• Bassman Triathlon (Half Ironman)
• Others???

I would love to do Ironman 70.3 San Juan, but I think that might be tough since it is a March race and I don't have the cash for that right now.  Any ideas, please post.

That is it for now, it is time to hit the hay, I have a big day ahead of me.  It all starts tomorrow!!!!  Cheers!

7 Random Facts

I was selected by Theia to think of 7 random facts about me (see list below) and try to have other blogger folks do the same. Here goes:

1. My first real job (with salary and benefits) was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark, NJ. It was an entry level job but I still had Top Secret Clearance (not as cool as it sounds).

2. I was a two-time All-American lacrosse player at Rutgers University....that was a long time ago though.

3. I can count on one hand the number of alcoholic drinks I have ever had in my life, thus I have never been drunk. Along those line, I have never gotten high or intoxicated in anyway. This is the result of my father instilling the fear of God in me if I were to have come home drunk in high school. Then in college I didn't want to flunk out of school because of drinking.

4. I not afraid of too many things, but the one thing that I will forever be afraid of is SNAKES!!! I hate all snakes, even the little garter snakes that I see occassionally in my back yard.

5. I love to make chocolate chip cookies, and consequently eat them. I am also fond of trying to bake random things here and there. I even attempted to recreate Emeril's Banana Cream Pie (easily the best pie I have ever eaten).

6. I first got the idea for my oldest daughter’s first name from a song by Black 47 - "Funky Céilí". I mentioned it to my wife and she liked it, but not the spelling, so we changed it up completely.

7. I ran my first marathon (New York City Marathon) when I was 29, did my first Ironman (Ironman Arizona) at 39 and have no clue what I am going to do at 49.

There you have it, some random things about me. Hopefully the folks below will take part in this exercise so that I and other can learn a bit about you (unfortunately I don't have a whole lot of people that read this blog):

TrevorD - http://inspired2tri.blogspot.com/
Skip - http://www.coachslade.com/
Yasi - http://yasimotraining.blogspot.com/
Miguel - http://roadtoironmandaddy.blogspot.com/
Thor - http://ironboy.wordpress.com/

MIA, But With An Excuse...

On October 20, 2011, at 9:24AM, my wife and I welcomed the newest addition to the family:

Our newest little girl weighed in at a trim 6 lbs 4 ozs and a length of 17".  Both Mommy and baby are doing terrific.  I can't believe that I now have three daughters.  Either I was not good to women in my younger years or someone thinks that I am strong enough to handle it.  Whatever the reason, I couldn't be happier.

I will get back to blogging in a few days, when I catch up with work and actually start doing some sort of training.  Yeah, I have been on a long sabbatical.  I think the hardest part is going to go for the first run or ride, then get up the next day and go again.  I really need a swift kick in the ass.

Oh, Theia, I will do the Big Daddy Diesel thing this week.  Things have been super hectic...to be honest, I am actually shocked that I posted this today.

Cheers!