Official Workout/Fitness Thread (Re-born)

[dobrojim]

Pretty damn impressive dobro. Qualifying for Boston on a "not especially good run". Congrats.

I'm just starting to ramp up the running after hibernating this winter. I've ran every other day for 10 days now, usually going about 4 miles. My pace is still pretty fast (typically hold between 7:15 and 7:30 after warming up at about an 8:20 pace) but my endurance isn't there yet.

Plan to go 6 miles tomorrow morning.

the real old timers in our running club like to complain/comment/brag
about how hard it used to be to qualify for Boston. I think they make
a fair point. 3:45 for a 55 year old male... I guess that's not that easy, or that
hard, depending on who you are.

edit to add - couple things - events and weather conspired to limit my
distance/stamina training. I had been able to accomplish a reasonable
amount of speed work. But I had done a total of ONE long run of twenty miles
prior to the race. Not optimal at all. Was supposed to due a 29-30 miler
3 weeks ago but the run got postponed due to weather and the make
up date was for a day I was already racing (8K).

A complicating factor on race day was the lack of consistent mile markers
throughout much of the first half and beyond. It's really helpful to know what your
pace is especially when your concern is late race stamina. My experience,
this being my 35th marathon, helped a lot and I did not end up having to walk
or slow down much in the late stages.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

From doing the workouts I described earlier, I've lost 10% of my body weight in a little over 2 months.

It's really good to have energy now. I'm still 25-35 pounds from where I'd like to be. Two local groups I'd like to get involved with are a church basketball league (I still remember rupturing my achilles, and I absolutely will not get on a court until I lose well past this weight--I'm right where I was when I blew it out); and also another church group with a few guys who practice Jiu Jitsu.

I really want to get there. This would be pretty life changing for me, considering how out of shape I'd become. There are a lot of nice folks in these groups, but I haven't been that active in a while. Just to get out there a few times would be fun.

[pancakes3]

i played bball hungover the other day and i had a CHARLIE HORSE. i don't know how much of that is me getting older, how much the hangover, and how much is it just telling me that i'm out of shape, but it was possibly one of the most embarrassed i've been playing sports ever - having to sit out a game for a CH.

[nate33]

Well, it finally happened. I injured my knee playing basketball last night. It just buckled when I was going for a layup. It's puffed up like a balloon now. I can still put weight on it, and the tendons that move it forward and back seem okay, but there's pain along the side of my knee on the inside of my leg whenever my knee is subject to a sideways stress. I'm going to the orthopedist today.

It sucks, because I was having one of my best games in recent memory. We were leading the best team in our league by 12 and I had about 30 points at halftime. I couldn't miss.

The upside is that the time off will probably allow my achilles tendonitis to heal completely.

[dobrojim]

sorry to hear that. Hope it's not as serious as it sounds.

[W. Unseld]

Nate, please update us, I follow basketball injuries with a deranged passion. Also this was an interesting article even if I only agreed with parts:
http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... s-is-a-lie
Muscle withers away if you’re not constantly building it, and muscle withers faster as a man ages. Fading muscle mass gives way to fat gain, stiff joints, stumbling-old-man balance, and a serious drop-off in weekend fun, not to mention self-esteem. But if you fight back right, it can all go the other way. And this means getting strong. The bottom line is that not only can lifting weights do as much for your heart health as cardio workouts, but it also provides you with a lean-muscle coat of armor against life’s inevitable blows — the way it did for my own father, who broke his back in a climbing accident at age 69, spent months in bed, and recovered strong only because he’d been lifting for 35 years.

Not that I haven’t wasted time at the gym like everybody else, sweating dutifully three times a week, “working my core,” throwing in the odd after-work jog. A few years ago, newly neck-deep in what Anthony Quinn describes in Zorba the Greek as “Wife, children, house…the full catastrophe,” I signed a 10-page membership contract at a corporate-franchise gym, hired my first personal trainer, and became yet another sucker for all the half-baked, largely spurious non-advice cobbled together from doctors, newspapers, magazines, infomercials, websites, government health agencies, and, especially, from the organs of our wonderful $19 billion fitness industry, whose real knack lies in helping us to lose weight around the middle of our wallets. Not that all of these people are lying, but here’s what I’ve learned: Their goals are only marginally related to real fitness — goals like reducing the statistical incidence of heart disease across the entire American population, or keeping you moving through the gym so you won’t crowd the gear, or limiting the likelihood that you’ll get hurt and sue.

[cwb3]

Well, it finally happened. I injured my knee playing basketball last night. It just buckled when I was going for a layup. It's puffed up like a balloon now. I can still put weight on it, and the tendons that move it forward and back seem okay, but there's pain along the side of my knee on the inside of my leg whenever my knee is subject to a sideways stress. I'm going to the orthopedist today.

It sucks, because I was having one of my best games in recent memory. We were leading the best team in our league by 12 and I had about 30 points at halftime. I couldn't miss.

The upside is that the time off will probably allow my achilles tendonitis to heal completely.

The Wizards crack medical staff will be free to see you first thing tomorrow morning!

[Zonkerbl]

On a related note, I know live within walking distance of Barry Farms!

[Nivek]

Nate, please update us, I follow basketball injuries with a deranged passion. Also this was an interesting article even if I only agreed with parts:
http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... s-is-a-lie
Muscle withers away if you’re not constantly building it, and muscle withers faster as a man ages. Fading muscle mass gives way to fat gain, stiff joints, stumbling-old-man balance, and a serious drop-off in weekend fun, not to mention self-esteem. But if you fight back right, it can all go the other way. And this means getting strong. The bottom line is that not only can lifting weights do as much for your heart health as cardio workouts, but it also provides you with a lean-muscle coat of armor against life’s inevitable blows — the way it did for my own father, who broke his back in a climbing accident at age 69, spent months in bed, and recovered strong only because he’d been lifting for 35 years.

Not that I haven’t wasted time at the gym like everybody else, sweating dutifully three times a week, “working my core,” throwing in the odd after-work jog. A few years ago, newly neck-deep in what Anthony Quinn describes in Zorba the Greek as “Wife, children, house…the full catastrophe,” I signed a 10-page membership contract at a corporate-franchise gym, hired my first personal trainer, and became yet another sucker for all the half-baked, largely spurious non-advice cobbled together from doctors, newspapers, magazines, infomercials, websites, government health agencies, and, especially, from the organs of our wonderful $19 billion fitness industry, whose real knack lies in helping us to lose weight around the middle of our wallets. Not that all of these people are lying, but here’s what I’ve learned: Their goals are only marginally related to real fitness — goals like reducing the statistical incidence of heart disease across the entire American population, or keeping you moving through the gym so you won’t crowd the gear, or limiting the likelihood that you’ll get hurt and sue.

That was a good article. Very interesting, BUT it's not all hooey. We belong to an exercise club, which we love. I'm happy with the workout I get on the machines at my club, which are designed to allow motions similar to that of free weights. Maybe I'll go to free weights at some point. I recently got my 14-year old son started lifting, and he was showing nice results in a couple weeks. Helps to start with a long, lean frame.

I'm not big on the ball exercises my wife loves, but Pilate's is terrific -- especially for my no flexibility, arthritic knee having body. Especially since I'm still playing hoops a couple times a week.

[W. Unseld]

For those who haven't read it, admittedly, it's a loooong article and it is a bit harsh in some areas but I think it's a worthwhile read, if nothing else for the Russian scientist formula and the explanation of what happens with weekend warrior injuries, here it is again:
http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-y ... s-is-a-lie

[nate33]

Got checked out by the doctor. He suspects a torn meniscus. X-Rays showed nothing but that's normal because the injury isn't bone related. I'll be taking an MRI exam in two weeks once the swelling subsides.

[dobrojim]

off to Boston and off the board for a few days to run the marathon

will report back with data possibly Monday night or Tues.
Not expecting anything too fabulous. Probably +/- 5 minutes
of my National time of 3:42. Just tried to look up my bib
number but the website wasn't working correctly. Not that
anyone here probably gives a $hi+ but you can get 5k updates
via email.

[daSwami]

off to Boston and off the board for a few days to run the marathon

will report back with data possibly Monday night or Tues.
Not expecting anything too fabulous. Probably +/- 5 minutes
of my National time of 3:42. Just tried to look up my bib
number but the website wasn't working correctly. Not that
anyone here probably gives a $hi+ but you can get 5k updates
via email.

Good luck Jim!

[dobrojim]

I'm almost hesitant to report but here goes

3:50

I started at a pace that seemed reasonable but turned out not to be.
My day wasn't helped by falling down due to failure to pay attention
to the presence of a timing mat. This mat was strategically located
in front of the Wellesley student body en mass. I was reading their
posters and looking for cute ones to smooch with when all of a sudden
I found myself sprawled on the pavement with a bloodied knee.
Pretty embarrassing. Oh well.

The race featured a consistent tailwind which allowed for Boston
record time and what would be a world record if not for the fact that
Boston's course is disqualified from such consideration due to the downhill
and point to point nature of the course.

Still an unbelievable run by the winner at 2:03.0x.
4 runners including American Ryan Hall ran faster than
anyone previously had at Boston.

Great finish to the Woman's race too.

I'm still sore. Hopefully better in another day or 2.

[Zonkerbl]

Went down to the bball court at the Anacostia Skate Park and messed around for about ten minutes, which is apparently all I can do nowadays. God, I got old fast. Seems like just two years ago I was still in decent shape.

[Zonkerbl]

woohoo, went to the bball court again and got recruited to play some four on four, played two games. And I scored a basket! I consider that an enormous accomplishment for a short white 20 lbs overweight 40 year old. Yay me.

[pancakes3]

commiserate with me, zonk. as a short hoopster, don't you hate it that once in that rarest of blue moons, you get a block? an honest-to-goodness block... and either a) someone calls foul. or b) backhandedly says "nice steal" ?

[nate33]

I'm almost hesitant to report but here goes

3:50

Ugh. Not so good (for you, anyway). On the other hand, you just ran a marathon 4 weeks ago so you probably had some residual fatigue.

[no D in Hibachi]

I posted about 6 months ago my goal to lose some weight and sought advise from the board. When I started, my weight was 220 and now I'm down to 178--6'1.5''. It was really a simple process: increase fruit veggie intake, no soda, and either jog or run on the elliptical at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. When I first started I was barely at a 10 minute mile and needed to walk intermitently. Now I'm going steady sub 7:30 miles for extented periods--today I went 4 miles in a little more than 30 minutes, which included my light jog warm up. Clearly not advanced like most folks on the board, but it's all about progress. I'm training for the 10K Bolder Boulder next month with a goal of sub 48. I'll post later with results.

[nate33]

That's awesome no D! Don't downplay your accomplishment. I bet less than 5% of the people in the country can run 4 miles in 30 minutes. And congrats on the weight loss. 40 pounds is 6 months is no joke.