Sam I Am

New 30 Day Challenge: 1 Mile, Everyday

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:41:00 +0000

So far I've successfully stopped biting my fingernails and refrained from drinking soda for over a month. My next thirty day challenge is going to focus on the positive aspect of forming a new habit. The last two have been trying to STOP DOING something, so this time I'm going to try to DO something.

Ever since I stopped playing high-level competitive hockey, I have told myself that I am going to start doing triathlons. I ran one year of cross country in high school, but since then, I have not gotten into a steady running routine. To help develop this habit that I dearly want to develop, I am going to run at least one mile a day, everyday, for 30 days. This is much less about putting in a lot of miles and more about developing the self-discipline to just get out there and put in some effort. I'm not worried about how long it takes me to run the one mile, I just want to get out there and do it, everyday.

Soda Challenge: Complete!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Yesterday I partook in my first soda in approximately one month and five days. I'm fairly certain that is the longest I have ever gone without drinking pop.

When I brought that cup of ice cold Sprite to my lips, I enjoyed it. However, as I told my girlfriend as she sat across from me in the library, it wasn't mind blowing. I probably could have kept my soda-fast going indefinitely, actually. After the first couple days, when the cravings were admittedly intense, I didn't really think about it.

Like I wrote about at the halfway point of this adventure, I didn't really feel any physical improvements from abstaining from soda. I'm sure part of this was the fact that I wasn't drinking THAT much anyway. I was averaging 5-7 servings of pop a week. Removing it from my diet and replacing it with iced tea, coffee, or water was not necessarily a huge factor. However, I do know that each of those times I drank a substitute instead of a soda, I saved at least 150 calories. That adds up over the course of a month or longer.

So, now that I've successfully gone over a month without drinking soda, what now? I thought about continuing my fast forever, but I don't think I will. I enjoy the taste of the occasional soda-- the keyword being, occasional. I'd like to treat soda as a special treat, not my automatic beverage of choice. To do that, I'm going to continue to avoid ordering soda when I go out to eat and will only buy small quantities at the time. I'd also like to try some of the all-natural sodas that you don't usually see in supermarkets.

I'm glad that I have proven to myself that I can go a month without soda. Now that I've done that, I'm not planning on letting myself fall back into the soda habit.

What I've Been Up To

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Some of you who may know me "in real life" might be wondering what I've been up to since graduating from college in May. As most of you probably know, I went to Bowling Green State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Most of you also probably know that the job market in southeast Michigan is crummy (to say the least). If I had been willing to move down South or maybe out West I might have been able to find a job teaching high school social studies, but that was not in the cards for me. I wanted to come home and be near my family, my girlfriend who is still attending Michigan State University, and the coaching opportunity I was presented.

While I was going to BGSU I played for the club hockey team there for three years. One of those years I actually ran the team as the appointed president. Club hockey organizations are student-led and are actually part of a very well organized national association, the ACHA. Our team was made up of a lot of ex-AAA and junior players that for some reason or another ended up choosing life paths other than the highest level of hockey. The level of competition was very good and we had an opportunity to travel over a large swath of the midwest. Anyway, the University of Detroit Mercy put together a brand new club hockey team at the end of last year, with the 2009-2010 season being their inaugural. My brother attends the university and he informed me of this development and the need for a coach.

My game plan since the beginning of college has been to teach high school social studies and coach some level of ice hockey. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get my feet wet in the world of coaching, so I submitted my resume. I didn't have high expectations since I assumed that a brand new hockey team would want somebody with more experience behind the bench. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered the position. So, since about late July I've been coaching the University of Detroit Mercy club hockey team. We've played four games so far and have posted a 1-3 record, frankly nothing for a first year team to be ashamed of.

The best part of this has been the realization that coaching is definitely one of my "flow" activities. When I'm on the ice running a practice my sense of time becomes seriously distorted. Our hour and a half practices seem to fly by. I now know that coaching is always going to be a huge part of my life. I love being on the ice and imparting the knowledge I've gained from 18 years of playing hockey to others. I have a ton to learn about being a good coach, but it's something that I look forward to improving at for a long time to come.

I Want to be Better

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:01:00 +0000

I want to be a better teacher. So I teach.

I want to be a better runner. So I run.

I want to be a better coach. So I coach.

I want to be a better writer. So I write.

That's what it boils down to. Do you want to be better at something? Do it. A lot.

It's amazing how often I forget this and how simpler everything becomes when I remember.

My Lack of Fitness Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:55:00 +0000

You'll notice that I haven't written a fitness update lately. Unfortunately, that means what you probably think it means. I think I have only run two or three times in the past three weeks. Not coincidentally at all, I have started working full-time about three weeks ago. Well, it's not technically full-time since it is just substitute teaching, but I've worked 14 of the last 15 weekdays, so I'm calling it full-time. This is actually eerily similar to how I felt when I was doing my student teaching earlier this year. I would get home from teaching all day and be completely wiped out and the motivation to workout would just never appear.

I realize that working out will increase my energy and that if I could just make myself do it when I'm tired, I would feel better. I'm hoping that as my body acclimates to my new schedule, I'll start doing a better job with the running and working out. When it boils down to it though, there are no "hacks" or "tips" that will fix this problem for me. It's a matter of throwing on my running shoes and cranking out a couple miles, regardless of how crappy I feel.

Either way, I need to figure it out because working full-time is definitely in my future for, oh, about the next 45 years or so. Can't really put my fitness goals and health on standby until then, eh?

The Halfway Point: No Soda for 30 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

I have completed 15 days of my 30-day challenge to stop drinking soda. I'm happy to report that I have not had any slip-ups during this period. No soda has touched my lips for quite some time. Unfortunately, my improvement in this aspect of my nutrition has not been met by an improvement in my eating habits. In fact, I've eaten more poorly in the past 15 days than I have in a long time. Any physical benefits from not drinking soda has been erased by the other crap I've been putting in my body. However, while I may not feel any different I know that not putting 150 or more completely nutritionally devoid calories in my body everyday is definitely a good thing.

I don't really think my bad eating habits have been caused by not drinking any soda, although that is an interesting idea. Is it possible my body is craving sweet and fatty foods because I haven't been drinking soda? I hope not.

The cravings haven't been too bad, but every once in awhile it hits pretty hard. In those cases, I usually try to find some type of juice or other sweet drink (like lemonade) to take the edge off. I know that isn't that much better than drinking soda, but eventually I will get rid of the cravings all together and be able to only drink things that aren't terrible for me.

So, now that I've reached the halfway point I hope to keep this going. I haven't decided if I will continue past the 30 day point. I will be back with that decision in 15 days :)

www.thesimplerlife.net

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:17:00 +0000

I launched a new blog today called thesimplerlife.net. If you are at all interested in personal development and/or simplicity, why don't you check it out?

Fitness Update (10/4-10/10)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:03:00 +0000

I don't know what my deal was this week. I tried to do a 4.4 mile run but my knee and shin were killing me. Overall, it was a pretty blah week on all aspects of my fitness, nutrition, and motivation. By way of example, of my 90 food choices this week, 6 were expressly healthy and 20 were expressly unhealthy. Not good at all. The only bright spot was that I did go out for a quick 1.9 mile run on Saturday and it felt really good-- no pain at all.

Cardio

5.8 miles running

New 30 Day Challenge: No More Soda

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:46:00 +0000

I have successfully completed my latest 30 day habit change challenge by breaking the habit of biting my nails. Building on that success, I plan to eliminate all soda from my diet for 30 days. I already drink much less soda than I used to, but it is such a waste of calories that I'd really like to remove it from my diet almost permanently. I probably average 3-5 servings of soda per week. I'd much rather have it be the occasional treat than the status quo. I will be replacing my soda intake with water, milk, tea, or coffee. Just like last month, I will be using daytum to track my progress.

30 Day Challenge Wrap-Up: Nail Biting Vanquished!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:22:00 +0000

I have successfully completed my 30 day challenge of not biting my nails! I've tried this before, but I've never had such a successful run as I did this past month. In the past 31 days, I only had three days of failure. The best part though, and the part that makes me think that I might finally be over the hump in breaking this habit, is that the desire to bite or tear my nails is virtually gone. I only find myself biting my nails when I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing. In the past, I used to have an active desire to attack my nails and I would have to somehow distract myself with something else. Now, that urge is almost completely gone. I still like to have very short nails, so I probably clip my nails more often than most people do, but I don't mind. I know it is hard to tell in the picture but my nails definitely look better than they used to. Plus, Heather noticed that my nails were better when I was scratching her back. I know I can count on her now to keep me on the right track-- she doesn't want to lose this new perk!

Fitness Update (9/27-10/3)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:13:00 +0000

I had to scale back my running a little bit due to knee and shin pain. I have some new exercise to do to hopefully improve the shin splints I've been dealing with, so hopefully that helps in the near future. My run tomorrow will be on four full days of rest, so I'm excited to put in at least 4 miles. The other notable improvement this week is that I got one weight workout and one bodyweight workout in. It definitely felt good to push myself in a way that I haven't in a long time. I'm planning on working more of that back into my fitness routine.

On the nutrition front, some improvement and some failure. Out of 95.75 "servings" (I use the term very loosely) that I input into daytum this week, 8.75 were expressly "healthy" (with a couple bananas and homemade chicken noodle soup leading the way) while 28 were labeled as "junk" (9 pieces of pizza and five peanut butter yum yums being the main culprits). That leaves 59 servings of food/drink that weren't particularly great or bad for me. Look for me to improve these numbers this week.

Cardiovascular

-8.1 miles run

-.4 miles walked

-16.0 miles biked

Upper Body

-Regular pushups: 50

-Bicep curls (60 lbs.): 36

-Hindu pushups: 30

-Standing chest press (45 lb. plate): 30

-French curls (45 lb. plate): 30

Core

-Regular crunches: 75

-Side crunches (each side): 90

Lower Body

-Regular calf raises: 270

-Lunges (60 lbs.): 30

Fitness Update (9/20-9/26)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:23:00 +0000

My IT-band tendonitis has come back in a pretty big way to my right knee. My third and final run for the week was spent in pretty agonizing pain. However, I was able to gut out a 3.55 mile run. Overall, not a terrible week fitness-wise. However, I got lazy on pushups and calf raises again. Need to figure that out badly.

Miscellaneous

-3.5 miles hard hiking/walking up and down the Sleeping Bear Dunes

Cardiovascular

-10.65 miles running

And, according to the information I inputted to daytum this week, I made 24 "healthy" choices, 39 "junk" choices, and drank 11 servings of soda. Definitely need to get that under control.

Disconnected Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:27:00 +0000

I am headed to Traverse City, Michigan with my beautiful girlfriend of one year for a celebratory weekend. We will be checking out the Sleeping Bear Dunes (I've been directed not to look at any pictures of them, in order to get the full effect). We will be riding our bikes and possibly going for some jogs in one of the most beautiful places in Michigan. What I will not be doing is checking my email, RSS feeds, or Twitter. I'm looking forward to a completely disconnected weekend to focus on what really matters, not the Internet.

Have a great weekend!

30 Day Challenge Update: Halfway Point

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:46:00 +0000

I'm 15 days into my 30 Day Challenge of stopping the terrible habit of biting/tearing my fingernails. I've been using the website Daytum to track my progress and right now I stand on 12 days of successful non-biting and 3 days of failures. I'm happy to report that even those three days of failures were not catastrophic tumbles off the wagon, just momentary lapses in concentration that resulted in a nibble here or there. My fingernails are looking better than they have in months.

Just as a taste of how far I've come in the past 15 days; I've trimmed my fingernails with an actual nail trimmer twice and I just spent the last 10 minutes looking for it! Even though I cannot currently locate it, I will not regress to trimming my nails without it.

Honestly, the urges to bite my nails have been incredibly minor. I'm very confident that I am well on my way to kicking this habit out of my life for good.

Fitness Update (9/13-9/19)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

The plan this week was to run 3 or 4 runs of 3.1 miles. That plan got modified a little bit, but overall, I'm pretty happy with the result. My run on Monday went very smoothly and I clocked a 3.1 mile run at an 8:08 pace. However, on Tuesday, I developed some pain in my right knee about a mile into the run. I've had experience with IT-band tendonitis before, but that was in my left knee. So having it in my right knee is something new. Luckily, I know some good stretches to help heal myself and I've had experience with making it go away, so I'm confident this won't be too much of a road block. That run only ended up being 1.45. So, to make up for it, I did some walking on Wednesday (2.8 miles) before finishing out the week with a 3.1 miler on Thursday and a 3.8 miler on Saturday.

You'll notice that I managed to get in some more pushups this week, which is a step in the right direction. Need to keep working on that. I've also focused more intensely on my stretching as that is really the only way to take care of this knee pain.

The plan for next week is to up my run from 3.1 miles to 3.5. However, I'd like to add a couple bike rides before it gets too cold so I may replace a run or two with that.

Miscellaneous

-2.8 mile walk

Cardiovascular

-11.5 miles running

Lower Body

-180 regular calf raises

Upper Body

-120 regular pushups

Fitness Update (9/6-9/12)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:34:00 +0000

I'm very happy with my running this week. Four runs varying between 2.7 and 2.8 miles. The best part of this week is that I actually looked forward to my last two runs. When I ran cross country in high school I definitely reached the vaunted "runner's high" that is talked about. I'd love to get back to that place where I can't wait to get my run in every day. I'm headed in the right direction.

The only downside is that I'm really letting my strength training fall by the wayside these last couple weeks. I was in the best shape of my life around two years ago and I was focusing almost exclusively on body weight exercises I could be doing at home. Really no excuse not to be doing a few pushups every night.

Miscellaneous

-2 mile walk (to get ice cream)

Cardiovascular

-11 miles running

Lower Body

-90 regular calf raises

Thirty-Day Challenge: Stop Biting My Stupid Nails

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:37:00 +0000

I've found that concentrating on one habit for thirty days has led to me success in the past. For example, former thirty-day challenges have been to track all my spending, drink only water, and reading for fifteen minutes every day. However, it's been awhile since I've actively attempted and tracked one of these, so I think I'm due. So, starting today, September 7th, 2009 I will not bite, tear, or pick at my finger nails.

It's the epitome of a bad habit and, when you get down to it, is just flat out embarrassing for anybody older than about nine. I also have my two front teeth bonded due to an old injury and I've been told that if I want to make them last longer than the two-or-so years I've been averaging, I should really stop biting my nails. So, as a twenty-two year old guy who likes to think of himself as having more than his fair share of self-discipline, I think it's about time that I kick the habit.

My thirty day challenge will be ending on October 7th, in which I will recap the month. Hopefully I will be able to show ten beautiful fingernails on that day :)

5 Articles to Get More Done

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:56:00 +0000

I have the habit of saving PDF files to Evernote of blog articles I receive in my RSS reader that I really enjoy. I therefore have a pretty extensive library of articles on personal development, time management, design, and other nerdy topics like that. Up until a couple days ago this habit hadn't really served any purpose other than providing a good way for me to procrastinate. However, my younger brother recently told me that he wanted to try to use his time more wisely in the upcoming semester. He is an architecture student at a good university, a goalie on the club hockey team, and he has a girlfriend who lives almost an hour away. Normally, architecture students live in the studio as they work on massive projects. He told me that although he spends so much time in the studio, he doubts that he uses even half of his time wisely. So, being the good big brother I am I decided to leverage my personal development article library in Evernote to provide him with some ideas for learning how to manage his time better. I decided to winnow the articles down to five I thought would be most useful for him. In no particular order, they were:

1. How to have more self-discipline from Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist

2. Mono-task and work more effectively from Dumb Little Man

3. Why multitasking doesn't work from Lateral Action

4. Task ninja: form the action habit from Zen Habits

5. 10 ways to use laser sharp focus to get more done from Illuminated Mind

I think these five articles cover a pretty good array of topics while still staying focused on the idea of time management. What articles would you suggest to a college junior who wants to learn how to use his time better?

Fitness Update (8/30-9/5)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:38:00 +0000

I ran 2.3 miles on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I was hoping to run one more time but that never happened. My runs have been pretty good this week though, with my best paced run being 7:17 minutes/mile and my slowest being 7:47 min./mi. Once I get my mileage higher, I'd like to keep my pace around 9:30, so it's a good sign I can run these low mileage runs quickly.

Other than my runs I only had two other workouts this week. I really don't have a problem with a low frequency of workouts as long as I keep my running up. Ideally I'd like to have two good full-body workouts per week with at least three runs.

Lastly, I'm going to begin experimenting with Intermittent Fasting over the next couple weeks. I did one 24-hour fast last week that actually felt pretty good. It wasn't hard to do and I felt good after it. I'm going to keep researching this and trying it out in my own life to decide if it's worth doing. Stay tuned.

Miscellaneous

A couple miles of walking before and after a MSU football tailgate/game

Cardiovascular

6.9 miles of running

Lower Body

Regular calf raises: 195

Upper Body

Regular pushups: 120

Bicep curls: 65 lbs. 3x10

French curls: 45 lbs. 3x15

Hindu pushups: 14

Core

None

Fitness Update (8/23-8/29)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Again, not a premier week in terms of number or quality of workouts-- but not the worst either. I managed to complete 3 runs of 1.4-1.9 miles. I'm also happy to report that my shins only have minor pain. I found out that I can eliminate almost all shin pain by running on the grass next to the sidewalks instead of on the sidewalk itself. I think I'm going to try a couple longer runs this week using that strategy to see if it holds up.

Miscellaneous

1 hr. of "beer league" hockey

Cardiovascular

7.15 miles running

Lower Body

Regular calf raises: 180

Core

Regular crunches: 130

Fitness Update (8/16-8/22)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:32:00 +0000

This wasn't the greatest week of working out that I've had, but I am happy to complete three runs. Admittedly, they were all short (two 1.45 miles and one 1.9 miles) but I need to keep telling myself to slowly build up to where I want to be. So far that seems to be working as I haven't had any shin pain since returning from vacation. I'm not sure if that's more due to the less mileage or the custom orthotics-- probably some of both. The nice thing about such short runs is that I can increase my pace from my normal "long distance running pace." My runs ranged from just over a 7 minute-mile pace to just under an 8 minute-mile pace. Usually, if I'm trying to run long distances I try to keep it around 9:30 minute-mile pace.

This week I'm hoping to run my 2 mile route three or four times. I've been stretching fairly well after all my runs, but I think I wasn't as focused as I probably should have been. Also, looking at my stats it's obvious that I really didn't do much working out other than the three runs. I need to start doing my pushups and calf exercises more consistently.

Miscellaneous

1 hour of "beer league" hockey

Moving a desk and bed to an upstairs bedroom

Cardiovascular

4.8 miles running

Lower Body

Regular calf raises: 90

Upper Body

Regular pushups: 60

Fitness Update (8/9-8/15)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:53:00 +0000

This week was a complete bust on the fitness front. Saturday morning I got up and drove to western Kentucky for a family vacation. As you can imagine, my food intake was less than ideal. Especially since my grandmother is an amazing southern cook. I suppose I could have evened that out a bit by stepping up my workouts-- but I didn't. In fact, I didn't workout one time while I was in Kentucky.

Lets look at the positive aspect though, eh? Obviously, the mental refreshment of a completely carefree vacation was excellent. My week off of running also gave my eternally sore shins a good break. I bought orthotics last week but I've only run once in them and my shins were already sore prior to that. I may not have run but I didn't completely just sit around the whole week. I spent a lot of time in the pool. I golfed 18 holes (albeit with a cart).

Looking ahead to this week I'm optimistic about getting back on track with my fitness. Tonight I'm playing hockey and I'm hoping to run 4-5 times before next weekend. I'll probably vary between my 1.5 and 2.0 mile runs, depending on how my shins feel. Other than the running I definitely need to get back on track with my calf/shin and other body weight exercises.

Everybody can fall off the wagon. Not everybody can hop back on. I'm fully intent on being apart of that minority.

Fitness Update (8/2-8/8)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:02:00 +0000

I only did my 1.45 mile run a couple times this week. It's tough to go from running 4 or 5 miles at a time to restricting myself to 1.45. However, if I'm ever going to get over the hump and become an actual long distance runner, I need to take this slow and build up my shin and calf strength. My shins were fairly sore this week but I think they started to improve near the end. I'm interested to see how my new Dr. Scholl's custom orthotics will affect the pain. You may have seen the "footmapping" machines in your local supermarket. You stand on a machine and it analyzes your foot and suggests a model of Dr. Scholl's orthotic that would help you the most.

Tomorrow morning I leave for a week of vacation in Kentucky with my family. I plan on running a couple times and at least keeping up with my basic calf raises, pushups, and crunches. That's the nice thing about doing bodyweight workouts-- I have no excuses for not working out a little bit over vacation.

The plan for the upcoming week is to do a couple 15 minutes run, which should be just a smidge longer than the 1.45 miles I've been doing (I ranged from 7:12 to about 8:30 pace on those runs this week). As far as eating goes this week, it is always a challenge to keep that under control while on vacation (especially at my southern grandmother's house-- can you say delicious food?) I'll try to just moderate my portions and really be mindful of how good the food tastes. No need to eat an absolute ton of it. At least, that's what I'm telling myself now.

Miscellaneous

-1 hour of "beer league" hockey with very few substitutes (exhausting)

-1 round of 9 holes w/ a cart

-1 round of 18 holes walking

Cardiovascular

5.8 miles running

8.56 miles riding

Lower Body

-Regular calf raises: 340

-Toes in calf raises: 95

-Toes out calf raises: 100

-Heel walking: 4:30

-Toe taps: 1:30 each foot

Core

-Regular crunches: 165

-Side crunches: 50 each side

-Bicycle crunches: 72

Upper Body

-Regular pushups: 144

-Narrow grip pushups: 24

-Hindu pushups: 30

Finding My Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Trying to find your passion, actively sitting down and trying to figure out what it is, seems counter-intuitive. There are so many things in life where the standard advice is, "don't force it." I think that fits perfectly in this situation.

I'm currently mired in an as-of-yet fruitless search for a high school teaching job. In this economy, finding a job anywhere is a challenge. I've limited myself to the southeast Michigan region, so as you can imagine my choices are even more limited. So what am I supposed to do if I can't find a job? What am I supposed to do if I do find a job but I find out that it isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life? I certainly wouldn't be the first unemployed person ever and I definitely won't be the first person to question their career choice straight out of college.

The key is that I need to figure out what my passion is. Hopefully, it is teaching. I basically need to admit to myself that graduating with an education degree does not mean that I have to stick to that vocation for the rest of my life. It might be hard to swallow the evident waste of four years, but I think I've read enough economics books to understand the idea of cutting my losses and moving on.

The initial point of this post was to explore the idea of trying too hard to find your passion. I think the more that I stress out over this seemingly lack of focus the harder time I'll have figuring it out. So, here's the tentative plan for the next couple months: just do stuff. I'm just going to try things that I think I'm interested in and write about it on this blog. And honestly, I don't know if that will make for compelling reading, but I think this will be more for my own benefit than anyone else's.

This also doesn't mean that I've given up on finding a teaching job. If I am able to land a full-time job that would be perfect because I'll know whether or not I made the correct choice in going into teaching in the first place.

Fitness Update (7/26-8/1)

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:23:00 +0000

Last Tuesday (the 28th) was the first time I was able to run after more than week off due to an infected toe and shin splints. I spent that week of convalescence thinking about my fitness goals and what I need to do to reach them. It is very clear to me that I have some serious issues to overcome if I ever want to be a decent long distance runner. I've known that my calves are undeveloped for a long time (thank you 17 years of hockey) but I've never really treated them as anything more than a self-deprecating quirk. However, my weak calves are at the core of my shin problems.

So, what am I to do? As much as I'd like to, I know that I cannot continue running at my current distance and hope to sustain it. Prior to my toe and shin injuries, I was running 4.5-5 miles fairly regularly. Right now, I need to admit to myself that although I may have the cardiovascular and leg strength (from the knees up) to successfully complete this distance, my shins and calves will not allow me to do so.

For now, this means that I am going to be doing a number of calf and shin strengthening exercises over the next couple months while slowly increasing my running distance. Ideally, I'd love to be running a half-marathon by the middle of next summer. However, I'm going to give myself a few months under my current plan before I make any discrete goals. Right now my only goal is to strengthen my shins and calves in order to create the base I need for longer runs.

With all of that being said, I am also planning on continuing my bodyweight workouts. I'm not particularly interested in adding the extra muscle weight that often accompanies lifting heavy weights, so I will continue a routine of bodyweight workouts for the foreseeable future.

Every week I will try to give a short summary of what I did in terms of my fitness. Here is my first week of stats:

Cardiovascular

- 6.8 miles of running

- 14 miles of biking

Lower Body

- Regular calf raises: 240

- Toes-in calf raises: 30

- Toes-out calf raises: 75

- Lunges: 40 (w/ 25 lb. weight held over head)

Core

- Regular crunches: 150

- V-ups: 45

- Leg raises: 1 min. 30 sec.

- Side crunches: 75 each side

- Bicycle crunches: 60

- Russian twists: 45 (w/ 25 lb. weight)

Upper Body

- Regular pushups: 230

- Hindu pushups: 48

- Narrow grip pushups: 36