Day 28 NO BOOZE.
Day 43 no BOJANGLES.
Ran another 5k today. = 20:14 on HORRIBLE DIX campus man that course is tough and it was warm!

so
My fitness is running races now!
Progress.
sub 22 5K in December (CHECK)
sub 21 5k in February (CHECK)
sub 20:30 in February (CHECK)
GOAL sub 19 5k by June.

Any other races or interesting things that will challenge post this way!!!

2/13/2017 1:41:53 AM

Coastal Race Productions 5k / Half Marathon Series is pretty cool. Oak Island is this weekend and then throughout the rest of the season there's Sunset Beach, Holden Beach, and Ocean Isle Beach.

http://coastalraceproductions.com/

I really want to do all four but Oak Island is at 7am. I don't know how they expect people who don't live in that immediate area to make that start time. I'd have to leave Raleigh at 4:30am to even have a shot at at that.

2/13/2017 9:53:09 AM

Thanks for posting that!

http://coastalraceproductions.com/run-oak-island/------

or this https://its-go-time.com/bnp-trail-jam/


if not maybe Sunday? https://race131.com/races/race-13-1-wilmington-nc/details (both THIS WEEKEND)



https://its-go-time.com/wol-city-wide-track-meet/ (Thursday February 23)


Next Saturday = https://its-go-time.com/miracles-in-motion/

2/13/2017 7:18:18 PM

I hurt my leg doing a trail run on Halloween and have been pretty limited since. I need to ease back into normal 5ks and work back up to where I was. I like the coastal ones because I know they'll be flat

2/14/2017 9:01:24 AM

I love a good hike, but I don't see how YOU PEOPLE run those trails without breaking your neck.

2/14/2017 10:13:20 AM

I am old. I run, then my body and legs are ALWAYS tired

2/15/2017 11:09:07 PM

I'm a few years away, but I totally intend to do the Coastal BAM half series. Does seem pretty cool to do.

2/16/2017 10:43:01 AM

I lost 10 lbs this month and kept it very simple.

I worked out ( mostly cardio and push-ups) 3-4 times a week , drank a ton of water, and completely quit cold turkey on the following four items, and only these 4.

Fries, Soda, Chips, and Candy.

I still drank sweet tea and ate fried foods like chicken a few times a week. I think dropping soda and fries was crucial.

2/19/2017 12:45:19 AM

Fries would be tough. Besides being delicious, they're really the only side option at a lot of places. Plus they're delectable.

2/19/2017 6:07:22 PM

I'm doing my second Ironman in October in Louisville... I'm raising money for the local Louisville community where we'll be racing.

If anyone feels generous and feels like donating towards the cause..

https://www.crowdrise.com/2017-ironman-louisville/fundraiser/kellyhunter9?utm_source=dash-card-cr&utm_platform=twt&utm_device=desktop

2/20/2017 9:40:52 PM

^ that is so awesome! I would love to do my first TRI this year!

2/22/2017 12:59:01 AM

It's addictive .

2/22/2017 3:55:14 PM

Starting black coffee this week. I only put in little half/half before, no sugar, but going to see if cutting out that little extra dairy makes a difference.

2/27/2017 9:12:22 AM

Been jogging on the elliptical around 20 minutes a night and doing come basic calisthenics reps for the past month or so. I try not to weigh myself too much but as of a couple weeks ago I had dropped 10 lbs since the beginning of the year.

I guess I'm curious about how I should escalate the workout as I adjust to the current schedule, mostly the cardio. Increase pace, or increase time? Both?

2/27/2017 5:07:29 PM

What's your goal - just weight loss or finishing some type of race?

2/27/2017 5:15:07 PM

Quote :

"Starting black coffee this week. I only put in little half/half before, no sugar, but going to see if cutting out that little extra dairy makes a difference."

What kind of difference do you expect it to make?

2/27/2017 5:32:25 PM

Whatever difference reducing lactose is supposed to make. I figured I'd finally have that six pack after a week or two.

2/27/2017 5:48:33 PM

Wait, you really expect cutting out a few daily grams of dairy to have any measurable effect on your health or body composition?

2/27/2017 5:58:38 PM

Can't hurt.

2/27/2017 6:06:17 PM

Why be negative? ^^

Awesome job!
I got my 5K time under 20:00! Next up sub 19:30 =)

2/28/2017 1:12:45 AM

It is simply science... eliminating a few calories from your daily diet will have no measurable impact!

Having said that, if dairy really is bad for our health (I believe it is), then yes, of course it is better to eliminate it, but a few calories of it won't have a noticeable impact on body composition.

2/28/2017 2:54:24 AM

Quote :

"What's your goal - just weight loss or finishing some type of race?"

Right now just weight loss. I've played with the idea of giving myself a benchmark of a 5k to run, but I don't have any friends that're interested in that kind of thing

2/28/2017 7:10:11 AM

here we go... rebooting working out, for the tenth or so time within the past year

3/1/2017 11:02:48 AM

Has anyone heard of or attempted anything from the Wim Hof Method? I heard about it on a podcast and now I'm reading this book, "What Doesn't Kill Us" and trying some of the stuff out.

Really interesting ideas...the basics at least, some of the more outlandish claims I don't necessarily believe

3/1/2017 11:36:39 AM

Where do you guys find info on local road races? Also any cool tris or short sprint ironmans?

3/2/2017 12:57:38 AM

Drinking black coffee is the quickest way to become a coffee snob. Not a fan of the Caribou mahogany I got at the store last week. Any coffee recommendations from other black coffee drinkers for an inexpensive blend? I normally pick up what's on sale at the grocery store between Caribou/Petes/Starbucks.

3/9/2017 12:48:54 PM

Peet's for goooood and inexpensive.

If you want to splurge, you should try Death Wish's Valhalla blend. Death Wish itself is too acidic...but go for Valhalla. I drink that every day.

3/9/2017 7:32:06 PM

Quote :

"Also any cool tris or short sprint ironmans?"

Sprint Triathlon = Sprint Distance

Isn't such thing as a sprint ironman. An Ironman is typically defined as the triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run.

If you're in RDU, there is the Raleigh 70.3 half ironman, but there are also a ton of races on the NC shore that give you a decent race, OBX does a great one in september, with three distance triathlons.

3/10/2017 8:23:20 PM

RE: Dairy, I've super reduced my dairy intake over the past 4 years. I would say I eat less than 1 serving of dairy a week. I've noticed a serious reduction in inflammatory and autoimmune issues over that time. Basically my eczema and some other issues cleared up and have stayed pretty much gone. That being said, I really haven't lost any weight or had any improvement in body composition because of that change. Like was said above, the small calorie reduction didn't do a whole lot, but I generally feel better.

[Edited on March 10, 2017 at 10:29 PM. Reason : apparently [colon][D] makes an emoticon...]

3/10/2017 10:28:11 PM

Left for vacation the morning after I ran a faster than a 19 minute 5k. Now I feel like 11 days later I wouldn't even be able to run a mile. WHY do I rage so hard on vacation!?! ahhhh

[Edited on March 29, 2017 at 2:51 AM. Reason : fu]

3/29/2017 2:23:09 AM

should've taken a leisure run or two while on vacation

3/29/2017 8:18:58 AM

I can barely wake up that hungover, let alone go for a run. But guess what? My legs feel fresh and my body is finally catching up. Literally my legs feel as if I have never run on them. Don't want to jinx it but for what I was running 8-830 pace for my easy runs before I left I did in the 730-8 now. SO.....here's to hope!

3/31/2017 12:36:10 AM

Set a goal last year to do 30 consecutive, full extension chin-ups as well as break 20 minutes in a 5k. My max last year was 23 chin-ups and I didn't really have a 5k time, but I had run 21 minute and 22 minutes 5ks in previous years (I run one race a year at the beginning of March).

Unfortunately my "training" is pretty sporadic. I run with my dog, and while he can run long distances, he doesn't really keep up to my pace. And my working out normally comes after my runs, so I'm pretty spent and don't think I max out my muscles due to being tired already. We also had a kid this past year and were living with our in-laws for 6 months while we put an addition on to our house...so I didn't get out there as much as I would have liked.

With that being said, I maxed out at 28 chin-ups this past weekend (painfully close to 29). And I ran a really slow 24.5 minute 5k with my dad. He's a triathlete, but he's also 70...so he's not as fast as he use to be. So I ran with him for 2.5 miles and then basically sprinted the last 1/2 mile and still had a lot left in the tank at the end. I feel like I'm still in the 21-22 minute range.

Still looking to hit 30 chin-ups, which should be doable. The 20-minute 5k should be tougher. Will be tough to keep up the running schedule with the kid and it getting hotter (don't run dog in the afternoon heat). But I still feel pretty good with where I'm at.

4/4/2017 10:59:11 AM

Do you do straight dead-hang with no movement of your lower body? Not kipping, but just that little bit of bringing your knees up to help get over the top of the bar?

[Edited on April 4, 2017 at 12:28 PM. Reason : ...]

4/4/2017 12:28:28 PM

I definitely don't kip and I do a full straight extension until I get to the last 2 or 3 chin-ups. I still fully extend, but then I might get a little "push" from the lower body on the last couple reps.

[Edited on April 4, 2017 at 12:55 PM. Reason : .]

4/4/2017 12:53:53 PM

So when I think chin-ups, that's palms facing you? I think of pull-ups as palms facing out. Just curious, not criticism either way.

4/4/2017 1:42:20 PM

Yeah...palms facing me. I probably do a pull-up "workout" for every two or three chin-up workouts. I'm shallow and this is the only bicep-focusing workout I can do since I'm not a member of a gym.

4/4/2017 2:34:55 PM

I'm going to do a max chin-up set this afternoon now just to see if I can even get 10. And I'm not a member of a gym either, but I have dumbbells and a barbell with a few plates. Why not just grab a few dumbbells sets from Dick's to keep in the garage?

4/4/2017 2:58:04 PM

I don't have a garage and my shed is full. I live downtown where space is at a premium.

Honestly...I haven't been a gym member for almost 6 years now and I love it. No driving, no looking for a parking space, no waiting for equipment or dumbells. I run a half mile to the park, do two laps (mile a piece), get my chin-up/pull-up/push-up work out in...and run a half mile home. I might do this once or twice a week...mix in another three or four mile run...and that's it. I probably spend a total of 2, 2.5 hours of working out each week and I might be in the best shape of my life. Not as strong as I use to be...but don't really have any desire to go back to that.

4/4/2017 6:11:55 PM

You could probably do over 30 neutral grip pull ups since those are usually considered the easiest

4/4/2017 8:05:22 PM

So I got 10 chin-ups, barely, that last one required a lot of lower body assistance. My push-up game is definitely stronger, gotta start doing more pull-ups on a daily basis.

^^ Space in downtown Charleston is limited, understood. Have you ever tried the Insanity workouts that you can do at home w/o weights? If you can get over the I'm a guy I don't do jazzercise videos in my living room aspect of it, they really are good cardio workouts in about 45 mins.

4/5/2017 6:36:27 AM

I did a couple T-25 workouts with my wife a couple years ago. It kicked my ass...but it's just not my thing.

While I appreciate your suggestions, I don't think you realize that I really like the simpleness of my "workouts" and I definitely like the results. I've been doing this for 5+ years and I don't see changing any time soon unless I have an injury or something.

4/5/2017 7:34:19 AM

so damned out of shape. you'd think being t-minus 6 months and counting from my ironman would've kept me on the straight and narrow... but alas.

oh well, back at training started last saturday. nice little 62 miles on the bike, and 5 mile run on sunday

4/12/2017 8:12:47 PM

I'm thinking about building a home gym, any of you guys/gals have one and a rack you would recommend? I want something smallish because I don't have a ton of space but want it to have plenty of features. I'm thinking Rogue R3 since I can add a dip station, land mine, and the late storage without much trouble but am open to other options as well.

4/18/2017 11:46:57 AM

Anything Rogue is solid, but definitely expensive. Some cheaper alternatives are Titan (the T-3 is more or less a cheaper clone of the Rogue R-3 http://www.titan.fitness/hd-power-rack.html?gclid=CLPFj5a1rtMCFZGIswodsrMHHQ and Rep Fitness. I personally have a Body Solid GPR378 (https://www.fitnessfactory.com/home/item/3137/gpr378/body-solid_gpr378_power_rack/), but it's look is fairly basic and attachments are a bit lacking as the other brands (I got mine early on in my home gym building, but it was only $450 new). Looking back, I probably would have waited and tried to get a Hammer Strength or Legend Fitness rack used via Craigslist.

Recently Dicks put out a new rack that might actually be decent: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/ethos-power-rack-10-17au6uthspwrrck10gmu/17au6uthspwrrck10gmu?&color=Red. Normally stuff at Dicks/Academy/etc are total crap and wouldn't suggest purchasing 90% of what they sell, but I've seen comments from other sources that the rack specs could compete with these lower end racks. I only suggest you considering it since you can literally go try it out at your local store (unlike these other brands), can avoid shipping costs, and return anything easily if there are defects.

Make sure you have proper flooring too! A few horse stall mats from Tractor Supply or rolled rubber flooring would help protect concrete/carpet/etc and dampen any sudden drops. There's also plenty of directions online on how to build your own lifting platform for cheap.

4/18/2017 12:27:16 PM

Yeah I don't want to throw away money unnecessarily but I can afford nice gear and if it will make a difference I will spend the money. Do you know if Rogue accessories fit the titan rack?

4/18/2017 12:43:56 PM

I think some do...check https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/ and search "Titan". I seem to remember some threads discussing it.

4/18/2017 1:50:48 PM

I lifted in a rack I picked up from a school auction probably 15 years ago, and it taught me to hate racks. I bought a York commercial half-rack about a year and a half ago and love it. My full rack hasn't been used since.



The chinup bar at the top and the bracing at the bottom make it really easy to hook elastic bands to the bar for dynamic loading.

I live about 45 minutes from the York outlet store in York, PA, so most of my equipment comes from them. They also sell accessories like dip bars for their system.


[Edited on April 18, 2017 at 2:47 PM. Reason : picture]

[Edited on April 18, 2017 at 2:48 PM. Reason : .]

4/18/2017 2:42:27 PM

Why do you prefer the half rack to the full one? Seems like you can basically do everything a half rack can do in a full one? My biggest reason for wanting a full one is so I can bench alone and use the strap type safety straps

4/18/2017 4:26:12 PM

Just curious what type of bench workouts you're doing that require safety straps? i.e., why spend all that money on a rack just for bench if you're just doing the occasional chest workout.

4/19/2017 10:34:18 AM