Started the day with a 5km run in 25min wearing a 5kg vest. Very happy to stick within the 5min/km range with the vest on.
While still wearing the vest, I did a couple of pull ups followed by some dead drops.
Short sprints at the park and a couple on the way home too.
Finished off with 30 inverted push ups at home.
Crashed out early that night for plenty of recovery and prep for tomorrow morn.
Showing posts with label TM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TM. Show all posts
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Friday, September 07, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 16...
Today's post is taking on a bit of a different angle...
And I'll make it easy on you... I'll write the short version for those that cannot be bothered with my verbose style and the long version for those that want a bit of the background and motivation to this post (and maybe a little bed time reading to help them sleep!).
SHORT VERSION:
Over the next two weeks before I take part in Tough Mudder, I want to raise a minimum of $140 (just think, only fourteen people need to donate $10... easy right!?) for Legacy as part of my acknowledgement for the way that TM has changed my life and to pay tribute to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice during active service for our country.
Please click here if you wish to donate.
(FYI - Leave the "State" blank and put your state in the "Province" section)
LONG VERSION:
This morning, a friend asked what the charity group Legacy represented.
I explained to the best of my knowledge that they provided support to the families of Aussie soldiers who had died during active service (since checking out the Legacy website I've learned that they are "providing services to Australian families suffering financially and socially after the incapacitation or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service").
It got me thinking...
It has been "Legacy Week" this week and you may have seen the tin rattlers out and about... I'll be man enough to admit that I avoided eye contact with them last week when I was at Bunnings... When it comes to charities, I tend to donate to only to a couple, like the Red Cross or the Cancer Council, as they are close to my heart... Legacy isn't high on my list, as it has very little personal impact on me...
Unfortunately it was "good" timing last week for all Australians to be reminded what Legacy is there for, when we lost five of our diggers in a single day...
Three were murdered in a cowardly "green on blue" attack and two died in a helicopter accident.
There are now five more families out there, that will not have a father or a son or a brother or a husband or an uncle to ever see again...
Tough Mudder supports Legacy in Australia, Wounded Warrior Project in the USA and Help for Heroes in the UK. To date, over $3 million has been raised for Wounded Warrior Project alone. Here's a video with a little background if you are interested.
When you first register for a Tough Mudder event, you are sent a link to help raise money for Legacy. The added bonus is that if I raise $140, I get a $25 discount of my entry fee.
I registered in January for this event (yes a whole nine months before!) but purposefully ignored the charity side of it... The main reason why? Because I wanted Tough Mudder to be about me... Purely and selfishly that's it... I didn't want my motivation to be stemming from raising money for a charity... I wanted to be training for this event so that once I've crossed that finish line, I can proudly say "I did it!"...
But you know what...?
I have already won...
Tough Mudder has changed my life in so many ways for the better...
I am probably stronger, lighter, faster and healthier than I have ever been in my adult life at the moment... I have shaved centimetres off my sides... I have lost excess kilograms from all over my body... and I have added years to my life...
And it is really all thanks to TM... It has inspired and motivated me where other methods have failed in the past...
The goals I set originally have been surpassed... smashed even...
So now it is time for me to give thanks...
And this is the best way I can think of doing so...
I want to raise a minimum of $140 over the next two weeks... Hell not even $140 cos I've just donated $25 as proof that it is not about the discount... And if I do hit $140, then I will drop another $25 as further thanks to everyone for their support!
So may I beg of ye, for a mere $10 perhaps?
Too much? ...just a fiver would be great thanks! :)
Help make a difference to the families of those that made the ultimate sacrifice and were lost whilst defending our country...
Help cheer me on for September 23rd... be there with me in spirit if you cannot be there in person...
Please click here to go to the donation page.
And if that link doesn't work for some reason, please copy and paste this:
http://www.raceit.com/fundraising/donate.aspx?event=6814&fundraiser=r2594499
Luv ya!
And I'll make it easy on you... I'll write the short version for those that cannot be bothered with my verbose style and the long version for those that want a bit of the background and motivation to this post (and maybe a little bed time reading to help them sleep!).
SHORT VERSION:
Over the next two weeks before I take part in Tough Mudder, I want to raise a minimum of $140 (just think, only fourteen people need to donate $10... easy right!?) for Legacy as part of my acknowledgement for the way that TM has changed my life and to pay tribute to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice during active service for our country.
Please click here if you wish to donate.
(FYI - Leave the "State" blank and put your state in the "Province" section)
LONG VERSION:
This morning, a friend asked what the charity group Legacy represented.
I explained to the best of my knowledge that they provided support to the families of Aussie soldiers who had died during active service (since checking out the Legacy website I've learned that they are "providing services to Australian families suffering financially and socially after the incapacitation or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service").
It got me thinking...
It has been "Legacy Week" this week and you may have seen the tin rattlers out and about... I'll be man enough to admit that I avoided eye contact with them last week when I was at Bunnings... When it comes to charities, I tend to donate to only to a couple, like the Red Cross or the Cancer Council, as they are close to my heart... Legacy isn't high on my list, as it has very little personal impact on me...
Unfortunately it was "good" timing last week for all Australians to be reminded what Legacy is there for, when we lost five of our diggers in a single day...
Three were murdered in a cowardly "green on blue" attack and two died in a helicopter accident.
There are now five more families out there, that will not have a father or a son or a brother or a husband or an uncle to ever see again...
Tough Mudder supports Legacy in Australia, Wounded Warrior Project in the USA and Help for Heroes in the UK. To date, over $3 million has been raised for Wounded Warrior Project alone. Here's a video with a little background if you are interested.
When you first register for a Tough Mudder event, you are sent a link to help raise money for Legacy. The added bonus is that if I raise $140, I get a $25 discount of my entry fee.
I registered in January for this event (yes a whole nine months before!) but purposefully ignored the charity side of it... The main reason why? Because I wanted Tough Mudder to be about me... Purely and selfishly that's it... I didn't want my motivation to be stemming from raising money for a charity... I wanted to be training for this event so that once I've crossed that finish line, I can proudly say "I did it!"...
But you know what...?
I have already won...
Tough Mudder has changed my life in so many ways for the better...
I am probably stronger, lighter, faster and healthier than I have ever been in my adult life at the moment... I have shaved centimetres off my sides... I have lost excess kilograms from all over my body... and I have added years to my life...
And it is really all thanks to TM... It has inspired and motivated me where other methods have failed in the past...
The goals I set originally have been surpassed... smashed even...
So now it is time for me to give thanks...
And this is the best way I can think of doing so...
I want to raise a minimum of $140 over the next two weeks... Hell not even $140 cos I've just donated $25 as proof that it is not about the discount... And if I do hit $140, then I will drop another $25 as further thanks to everyone for their support!
So may I beg of ye, for a mere $10 perhaps?
Too much? ...just a fiver would be great thanks! :)
Help make a difference to the families of those that made the ultimate sacrifice and were lost whilst defending our country...
Help cheer me on for September 23rd... be there with me in spirit if you cannot be there in person...
Please click here to go to the donation page.
And if that link doesn't work for some reason, please copy and paste this:
http://www.raceit.com/fundraising/donate.aspx?event=6814&fundraiser=r2594499
Luv ya!
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 17...
Bio age testing day!
Stretches in morn to get the body awake and limber.
Ten slow push ups to stretch out arms nicely.
Some core activation exercises.
Couldn't stop thinking about 4pm and the test.
The PT sessions we've been participating in have been great. Complimented my running nicely. Shown me areas I need to improve.
Core. Core. Core.
That's for sure!! :)
Picked up my blood test results from my GP. Cholesterol and blood glucose looking great! :)
Bio Age Testing went really well.
Improvement in all areas!
Have dropped a few kilos over the last three months.
Waist went from 90cm to 82.5cm!!!
(really really happy to see that result!!!)
Blood pressure down (but both the initial reading and today's reading were much higher than what I get when measured at the Red Cross before my blood donations. White Coat Hypertension perhaps??).
Ran an extra level in the beep test.
Was much more flexible than last time in the stretch test.
In the first test, I did 27 push ups.
28 was the next tier in my age category, so I was determined to do 28 minimum this time and push for the next tier which was 40.
Did 42 push ups today!! :D
Felt fabulous after that.
Finished up with plank hold.
Held it for 2:25 minutes.
First time around I only did 1:06, so again I was over the moon.
Since the beginning of this year, I've lost a lot of weight from running and better eating. These PT sessions have been such an awesome added benefit to my fitness regime and shown me that there's a lot more I need to be doing than just running... Especially on the lead up to an event like Tough Mudder.
If it was just a half marathon, yeah no probs, run run run... But it's much much more than that... It's a half marathon with 28 military style obstacles (I like to think of them as rest stops!) along the way...
I get the feeling that it's gonna push me to my limits and test me physically and psychologically...
But who knows..? Maybe I'm more ready than I think I am...
Fear is the mind killer... and on September 23rd, I vow that Fear will not be hitching a ride with me...
Stretches in morn to get the body awake and limber.
Ten slow push ups to stretch out arms nicely.
Some core activation exercises.
Couldn't stop thinking about 4pm and the test.
The PT sessions we've been participating in have been great. Complimented my running nicely. Shown me areas I need to improve.
Core. Core. Core.
That's for sure!! :)
Picked up my blood test results from my GP. Cholesterol and blood glucose looking great! :)
Bio Age Testing went really well.
Improvement in all areas!
Have dropped a few kilos over the last three months.
Waist went from 90cm to 82.5cm!!!
(really really happy to see that result!!!)
Blood pressure down (but both the initial reading and today's reading were much higher than what I get when measured at the Red Cross before my blood donations. White Coat Hypertension perhaps??).
Ran an extra level in the beep test.
Was much more flexible than last time in the stretch test.
In the first test, I did 27 push ups.
28 was the next tier in my age category, so I was determined to do 28 minimum this time and push for the next tier which was 40.
Did 42 push ups today!! :D
Felt fabulous after that.
Finished up with plank hold.
Held it for 2:25 minutes.
First time around I only did 1:06, so again I was over the moon.
Since the beginning of this year, I've lost a lot of weight from running and better eating. These PT sessions have been such an awesome added benefit to my fitness regime and shown me that there's a lot more I need to be doing than just running... Especially on the lead up to an event like Tough Mudder.
If it was just a half marathon, yeah no probs, run run run... But it's much much more than that... It's a half marathon with 28 military style obstacles (I like to think of them as rest stops!) along the way...
I get the feeling that it's gonna push me to my limits and test me physically and psychologically...
But who knows..? Maybe I'm more ready than I think I am...
Fear is the mind killer... and on September 23rd, I vow that Fear will not be hitching a ride with me...
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 18...
Stretches in the morn.
Feeling tight from long country drives, too much sitting down at a desk doing computer work and cramped up in small aeroplanes.
37 push ups as well.
Did a 2.5km walk up and down a hill in the arvo as I was feeling really tight in my hip flexors and calves and just wanted to move. Felt liberating! :)
Reviewed the Sydney TM course a little in the evening... Psyching myself up for it!!
Finished off the night with more stretches before bed.
Managed to touch my toes... Can't remember the last time I did that!!
Bio age testing tomorrow... How will it go...?
Feeling tight from long country drives, too much sitting down at a desk doing computer work and cramped up in small aeroplanes.
37 push ups as well.
Did a 2.5km walk up and down a hill in the arvo as I was feeling really tight in my hip flexors and calves and just wanted to move. Felt liberating! :)
Reviewed the Sydney TM course a little in the evening... Psyching myself up for it!!
Finished off the night with more stretches before bed.
Managed to touch my toes... Can't remember the last time I did that!!
Bio age testing tomorrow... How will it go...?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 26...
Now I'm paying the price more for yesterday's stupidity.
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Monday, August 27, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 27...
An educational, rest day would be the best description for day 27...
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 30...
Weighed in at 81.2kg
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
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