Week 1 Success (I think) - catch up from days past

Wednesday - I was my one year anniversary of my first neurosurgery, removing the tumor. So, I celebrated. I really wanted to work out in the morning, but these changes in the weather here have my noggin' a little screwy, makes me feel tired and I woke up late. The night was spectacular, listened to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros with friends and family, in a rainy thunderstorm... Great fun, definitely memorable!

Thursday: I was exhausted from Wednesday night... exhausted... I did absolutely nothing, slept in late...

Friday: 36min spin bike ride, interval style - felt great; followed it up with a 1.2 mile jog. No tightness in the calves. Really invigorated me for the whole day... Loving the shoes!

Saturday: a real test, maybe a little stupid... Didn't have access to my bike, so I just went for a straight up jog. After using google maps I covered 3.0mi exactly, however; I walked when going down several hills to try to minimize the impact I felt, try to prevent possible injury from not being adjusted to the shoes... definitely felt sore Sunday. I am guessing that once I subtracted the distance I walked I probably did around 2.7 or 2.8mi...

On to week 2!

As an aside: I am feeling pretty good about this personal challenge and I am thinking about setting a goal for a road race, duathlon of some sort... Suggestions? I am going for next late spring/ early summer....

Song for Saturday - it's a little slow, but I like the tempo for when I am running, keeps me from trying to go too fast

Week 1 cont...

4 days of full updates and analysis coming soon:

Brief summary of activity:

Wednesday: 1 year anniversary of surgery to remove my tumor, didn't wake up in time to workout in the morning - went to Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros concert, stood in cold thunderstorms for 3 hours

Thursday: exhausted from being in the cold rain and staying up late for the concert

Friday: 36min bike w/ intervals; 1.2mi run - shoes felt great

Saturday: unknown distance of jogging - got a little lost and haven't mapped the distance yet

People of Normal Weight With Belly Fat at Highest Death Risk, Mayo Clinic Study Finds

Uh oh, more motivation? Should be...

Just Say NO to your round belly...Summary Article of Mayo Clinic Report

Week 1 continued

Tuesday: Because I had to be to school really early and didn't want to risk getting stuck in traffic I  delayed the routine until the evening - no worries about that though, after yesterday's jog in the kinvaras my calves were feeling pretty tight.

So, anyways... On to today...
Today I rode my bike for 36min, I guess I should add that I just don't ride at a constant speed. I do an interval session. Today I broke the session down into 9, 4min sessions - where for 3min I would ride seated at an intensity level that allowed me to keep a minimum of 80rpm, then for 1min I would increase the intensity and ride standing up... It was a fairly good workout, something definitely worth repeating.

Following the ride I did a small circuit workout 2x:
25 slow crunches on the swedish exercise ball
12 push-ups using the perfect push-up
30 sec front plank/ 2x 30sec side planks
3 x 12 rep of cable military press/ mid butterflies/ low butterflies

Song of the night:

Week 1

Monday:
Well, I successfully completed the chosen activities of the day - kind of... I rode my stationary bike for 30min. I may have had the intensity up too high to start and didn't finish the period with the level of RPM's that would be suggestive of a more aerobic workout, and my legs felt swollen lead balloons. However, I transitioned nicely into the jog, the shoes felt great off the bat, I felt light on my feet. But, about .8mi in my calves started to really tighten up. Now, I don't know if this is because 1) I'm starting at basically a zero intensity aerobic base and I rode the bike for 30min, fatiguing the muscles pre-hand, 2) my muscles weren't used to the new recoil from the more minimalist shoe, or 3) a combination of both? Regardless, I didn't put it to much chance and stopped to stretch, deciding to walk the rest of the way home... better safe than sorry.

Ipod Song of The Morning:


Tuesday:
(Evening ride - just waiting to get home)

23.5 hrs...

Big Day Tomorrow

So, tomorrow is the big day...

2 Week Base Start: 5 days per week, most likely MTW FSa

For the first two weeks I plan on riding my bike, (probably my spin bike - pictured below), for 30min and supplementing an approximately 1mi JOG, (I stress "jog" and not run), post ride 3 days a week. As I build back my aerobic base and some leg muscle I plan on transitioning to more running and less cycling... 2 days a week I will also add a 10-15min calisthenic routine consisting of push-ups, pull-ups, planks, lunges and some resistance band curls, flies, and military presses.

Overall: first 2 weeks
Monday: 30min cycle, 1mi jog
Tuesday: 30min cycle, calisthenics
Wednesday: 30 min cycle, 1mi jog

Friday: 30min cycle, calisthenics
Saturday: 30min cycle, 1mi jog

(image: http://markbordeaux.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Silhouette-of-a-Man-Running-Photographic-Print-C13098683.jpg)

New Kinvara's...

So, apparently Kinvara is a place in Ireland - it means "head of the sea."

These are the new shoes for my transition to minimalist running as I get back in shape. Now, I am a natural neutral runner and have been wearing the Mizuno Wave Riders solely for almost a decade. But, as I am currently overweight, I didn't want to transition to a straight 0(zero)mm drop shoe, (the experts at Swag's Running agreed)... What does "0mm drop" mean? The 0mm Drop is in reference to the difference in cushioning height, hind-foot to forefoot. Now, if I was an experienced minimalist shoe runner, (like when I was 16-18yrs old), and not at least 30lbs over a healthy running weight, I'd probably go for a 0mm drop shoe - like the New Balance minimus. But, alas, I am not - so I went for the Saucony Kinvara's, which have a 4mm drop. I thought this would be a good idea, to avoid issues with my achilles tendon, often associated with a transition to minimalist shoes. The guys at Swag's agreed, they also believed that because I am,  historically, (at this point it feels), a neutral cushioned runner, (with an even foot strike), the transition will not be as difficult or drastic - especially from the Mizuno's.

I guess the biggest problem they see is that people who wear supportive shoes, try to transition to minimalist running - wearing Vibram's, (toe shoes), and end up being injured. Just too drastic of a change - their body doesn't have time to adapt to the new form and foot strike, muscles and bones are not in condition to take on the stress.

I plan on taking it slow, building up my aerobic capacity on the bike and supplementing with running as I build more muscle mass in my legs, (which is important to maintaining good joint strength and structure - when muscles are weak/off balance it can predispose you to joint injuries - knees, hips, etc.,).

So, for the remainder of the weekend I will be breaking in my new shoes... Monday I will begin my training plan, which I will probably post Monday for what I will be doing the first two weeks.

Review of Saucony Kinvara 3: (coming soon)
Saucony page:Kinvara 3 (click on Kinvara)

Side note - SWAG's is great to their customers and, (in my experience), very knowledgeable. Also, they give a standard 15% off any purchase over $100.

Links to Wellness - This will be a growing list

John Nerone - general fitnesss: http://www.johnpnerone.blogspot.com/
Veggie Bellie - vegetarian/vegan dishes http://www.veggiebelly.com/

Inspiration... (unrealistic for me, of course)

Anton Krupicka - this guy is a beast... http://antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/

I want to ride my...

The bikes that will be helping me build up my aerobic capacity, my ol' Schwinn DX900, and my trusty 2007 Lemond... (aka - the Gary, Greg's not as talented brother)...

Shoes I am interested in...

The mizuno wave rider, (red), has been my go to shoe for around 8 years - usually just walk into Swag's and get a new pair without trying them on. Since I am starting with a 0mi per week base, I want to transition to the minimalist shoe, (like I ran in when I was in high school). For that I want the Saucony Kinvara 3's, (yellow/black)... RUN FAT BOY, RUN!!!!

motivates me to study...

...run, what have you...

Introduction

Hello, I am starting this blog to catalogue my full return to health following cancer treatment and recovery, (hold myself accountable). I hope to be able to provide my training plans, (running, cycling, calisthenics), shoe reviews, dietary and meal plans, recipes... maybe some humorous anecdotes?

Currently, I am in the planning stages of how I will go about this - but my goal is to lose 50lbs over the next couple of years - I am basically starting from scratch as surgery, treatment, and recovery made me rather sedentary. Miraculously, I am one of those special cases of cancer patients who gained weight - partially because they told me to fatten up, fearing I would be nauseated by radiation... I never got sick, so I just kept eating and eating...

Now I am trying to change my lifestyle back to one that merits the second chance I was given by being cured of cancer... September 26, 2012 marks the one year anniversary of my first surgery - September 24, 2012 will mark the beginning of my trek to a new life and longevity...

Please feel free to comment, provide advice/suggestions, ask questions, etc., etc..

I hope this is fun...