This week started "official" training for the upcoming triathlon season. It has so far consisted of speed tests to set up my training pacing and heart rate zones for training. The swim test was to determine my average 100 yard pace over 700 yards. Not too bad. Then Azsure and I did a strength workout later that night. Ok. Yesterday, however, the fun began. The Threshold test on the bike. Basically, warm up for 10 minutes, the accelerate up to as hard as you can hold for 30 minutes. Yikes. I really had to talk myself into finishing because I was not going to make. I did though. Today, I am fairly sore but ready to go out and do my run threshold test which is just like the bike test, only running!. Yippee! I need to follow that up with a strength circuit too. F.U.N. This will hopefully all pay off in a leaner, stronger, faster Andrew this sumer.
I have started getting up this week about 30 minutes before the kids wake up to sit and think about my day. Meditate, if you will. I am trying to start my day off thinking about what is coming and what i need to focus on. I have been considering 5 specific things: My role as a husband, my role as a father, my eating, my exercising, then closing it out with a basic prayer for all things to be good in our lives and the lives of others. It takes about 10 minutes or so. I am hoping to increase my mindfulness about my world around me starting with myself and family and expanding outwards. Namaste.
My eating has been good, though it has only been 2 days. I have been shooting for a nutrient dense diet. Heavy on the greens and veggies, lower on the dairy and sugar, and staying away from junkie stuff. I feel like a cow chewing my cud at lunchtime with a salad as big as a pizza. I made some killer vegan Black Bean chili and ate that with eggs for breakfast as well as took some for post workout in E's star Wars lunch carrier. Yummy!
It's 60 degrees today in Bloomington. Nice. bring on the spring! I am ready for all things Spring and Summer!
Out
AHGD
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Resolution Redo!!
Wow, 2 posts in one day! I am on fire! This should do until next year eh?
Ahhhh....February. Valentines Day. Lincoln's birthday. My birthday. The anniversary of how long my wife and I have been "together". Black history month. How very exciting February is.
If you are a gym person. That is, a person who frequents a gym or health club or whatnot, you have undoubtedly noticed that the treadmills are emptying, Zumba is back to you and those other 5 girls (and that one dude who is awesome), the walkers on the track are again businessfolk on their lunch hour. The super fancy new tracksuits are disappearing. The sad fact is that the resolution group is dwindling and only a few have hung on, forced the habit, and clung to hope of a new life and body or whatever they started with. Now is the best time of year to buy fitness equipment from craigslist.
Anybody need a redo?
I didn't really make any resolutions. I had goals for the year already. I was mid training for a half marathon at the new year and just kept going with what I was doing. Now that the race has past I am off for a couple weeks then I start training for my "A" race for the year. My main goal that I set for the year is The Evergreen International Triathlon, which is an Olympic Distance.
That being said, I am gearing up for some new habits and want to invite anyone who wants to to make some new habits as well. Nothing fancy. you don't have to commit to any triathlons or anything like that. Just connect to give some mutual support. By connect, I mean loosely, on facebook, on twitter, whatever. I'll be posting my workouts and some meals and thoughts and encouragement for any fitness or healthy eating goals you may have. Just follow me on twitter @ahedges if you want.
Here is my new plan, which is mainly food focused because my training plan is already laid out for the Triathlon season. for the record, Here is my training regimen: 3 strength sessions a week. 2 workouts each week in Swim, Bike, and Running. Yes, Its a lot. 9 workouts. Plus the occasional extra bike and run here and there. I will miss some of those, I'm sure.
Here is my food plan. Loosely. Its all trial and error. Right? Breakfast and lunch I am planning on Eggs as my only animal food so aside from that, I am hoping to go veggie for those two meals and reduce my dairy intake as well. I am only doing breakfast and lunch because I am not going to subject my family to my strange diet experiments. I want to reduce my sugar intake drastically. Sweets, hard liquor, refined breads, all that good stuff. This is all pretty extreme, so we'll see how all this turns out. I am trying to increase my energy, lower my stress, and just generally improve through food.
So there it is, written out, mainly for my benefit and some accountability in a public forum. If you want to join me in your own resolution redo, let me know. It helps to have someone to be accountable to. You can send me a private mail or just follow me here or facebook, or twitter. I'm really not some crazy exercise guy or food nazi and am not going to berate anybody about anything. Only encouragement.
I'm starting on February 27. This can be for you all just starting or for people like me who just like to connect and help encourage each other.
AHGD
Ahhhh....February. Valentines Day. Lincoln's birthday. My birthday. The anniversary of how long my wife and I have been "together". Black history month. How very exciting February is.
If you are a gym person. That is, a person who frequents a gym or health club or whatnot, you have undoubtedly noticed that the treadmills are emptying, Zumba is back to you and those other 5 girls (and that one dude who is awesome), the walkers on the track are again businessfolk on their lunch hour. The super fancy new tracksuits are disappearing. The sad fact is that the resolution group is dwindling and only a few have hung on, forced the habit, and clung to hope of a new life and body or whatever they started with. Now is the best time of year to buy fitness equipment from craigslist.
Anybody need a redo?
I didn't really make any resolutions. I had goals for the year already. I was mid training for a half marathon at the new year and just kept going with what I was doing. Now that the race has past I am off for a couple weeks then I start training for my "A" race for the year. My main goal that I set for the year is The Evergreen International Triathlon, which is an Olympic Distance.
That being said, I am gearing up for some new habits and want to invite anyone who wants to to make some new habits as well. Nothing fancy. you don't have to commit to any triathlons or anything like that. Just connect to give some mutual support. By connect, I mean loosely, on facebook, on twitter, whatever. I'll be posting my workouts and some meals and thoughts and encouragement for any fitness or healthy eating goals you may have. Just follow me on twitter @ahedges if you want.
Here is my new plan, which is mainly food focused because my training plan is already laid out for the Triathlon season. for the record, Here is my training regimen: 3 strength sessions a week. 2 workouts each week in Swim, Bike, and Running. Yes, Its a lot. 9 workouts. Plus the occasional extra bike and run here and there. I will miss some of those, I'm sure.
Here is my food plan. Loosely. Its all trial and error. Right? Breakfast and lunch I am planning on Eggs as my only animal food so aside from that, I am hoping to go veggie for those two meals and reduce my dairy intake as well. I am only doing breakfast and lunch because I am not going to subject my family to my strange diet experiments. I want to reduce my sugar intake drastically. Sweets, hard liquor, refined breads, all that good stuff. This is all pretty extreme, so we'll see how all this turns out. I am trying to increase my energy, lower my stress, and just generally improve through food.
So there it is, written out, mainly for my benefit and some accountability in a public forum. If you want to join me in your own resolution redo, let me know. It helps to have someone to be accountable to. You can send me a private mail or just follow me here or facebook, or twitter. I'm really not some crazy exercise guy or food nazi and am not going to berate anybody about anything. Only encouragement.
I'm starting on February 27. This can be for you all just starting or for people like me who just like to connect and help encourage each other.
AHGD
Update for crying out loud! Update!!!
Hey! I have a blog. A move to a new city brings new things and reminders of old ones. The blog has been sitting. I hope my two readers haven't perished Here comes the update........
Azsure got a new j.o.b. with her company so we moved from the mitten state to lovely Bloomington, IL. The gem of central Illinois featuring State Farm, Illinois State University and now.....yours truly! We found out in November that we would me moving and we landed in Bloomington the week of Christmas. Fun for all!
We are settled in finally with the kids in school and 98% of the boxes unpacked. (though the moving company has yet to get back to us about picking up the empty boxes so they all sit in my space in the garage). I am getting to know my way around and although I quite miss all of the luxuries of a major metro city, like a real honest to goodness, non-chain restaurant, things are looking up.
I have officially come out of retirement and have returned to full time At-Home Dadhood. No part time work or income of any kind. How is that different than working part time for our former church you ask? Well, its not really. I have, however, found myself a little more focused on the kids without distractions of any kind from work.
I did my first half marathon last weekend in Marion, IL. It was awful. I was apparently the only day in the history of Southern Illinois where temps were in the 20's. I am not a fan of running but did my first season of triathlon last summer and am pretty much hooked on that. Whats the difference? There is something different about running straight off the bike as well as training for 3 sports instead of just 1. I wanted to cover the distance of the half marathon so that I could mentally check off the list that I could cover the distance as I have the inkling of a Half-Ironman distance triathlon for 2013. That is a 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, followed by a 13.1 mile run. yikes!
Since the half marathon last week, I have been gorging myself with yummy stuff like ice cream and burritos and all kinds of stuff. That comes to and end this week as I prepare my body with lots of veggies and whatnot for triathlon training season which starts next week. but more on that later.
That's all for now. Maybe I can update this another time soon, and probably will.
AHGD
Azsure got a new j.o.b. with her company so we moved from the mitten state to lovely Bloomington, IL. The gem of central Illinois featuring State Farm, Illinois State University and now.....yours truly! We found out in November that we would me moving and we landed in Bloomington the week of Christmas. Fun for all!
We are settled in finally with the kids in school and 98% of the boxes unpacked. (though the moving company has yet to get back to us about picking up the empty boxes so they all sit in my space in the garage). I am getting to know my way around and although I quite miss all of the luxuries of a major metro city, like a real honest to goodness, non-chain restaurant, things are looking up.
I have officially come out of retirement and have returned to full time At-Home Dadhood. No part time work or income of any kind. How is that different than working part time for our former church you ask? Well, its not really. I have, however, found myself a little more focused on the kids without distractions of any kind from work.
I did my first half marathon last weekend in Marion, IL. It was awful. I was apparently the only day in the history of Southern Illinois where temps were in the 20's. I am not a fan of running but did my first season of triathlon last summer and am pretty much hooked on that. Whats the difference? There is something different about running straight off the bike as well as training for 3 sports instead of just 1. I wanted to cover the distance of the half marathon so that I could mentally check off the list that I could cover the distance as I have the inkling of a Half-Ironman distance triathlon for 2013. That is a 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, followed by a 13.1 mile run. yikes!
Since the half marathon last week, I have been gorging myself with yummy stuff like ice cream and burritos and all kinds of stuff. That comes to and end this week as I prepare my body with lots of veggies and whatnot for triathlon training season which starts next week. but more on that later.
That's all for now. Maybe I can update this another time soon, and probably will.
AHGD
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