Friday, December 7, 2012

Flippin' Friday

There is something about knowing you are working all weekend that makes Fridays much less exciting. Regardless, I have maintained the intensity of last week's training. Wednesday was a great workout, but I felt great today and Thursday as well. Before I get to the details of my training, I want to share some hilarity with the masses - here you go:


I know it is Christmas season, but I think this gentleman chose the wrong vehicle to haul his oversized tree. Additionally, I don't think he roped the thing on very well, as it was practically falling off. The best part is that he is driving a cloth top; the worst part is that he was driving 20 miles per hour... In a 45. Come on man. Come on.

Next, I want to discuss some things that are good for you, and some things that are bad for you.


Sleeping is very good for you. Obviously it is if I teach my students about it. Still, the quest to get enough sleep is often a failure. Personally, I make a concerted effort to get at least 6 hours, but if I am going to the gym, and waking up at 4:30am, it can be difficult. I do recommend this though. I hear never sleeping is a bad thing, especially for us runners. Weird, right?


Food is a good thing; we need it to live. Bananas are very good for you. Banana bread is very good. The banana bread above was excellent, but I can't say it helps my athleticism in any way. Also, sandwiches are good, but shaping them into footballs like the one above does not increase the nutritional content, nor does it make you good at football. Moral of this story: eat nutritional food; the less processed the better. I have had a tough time with this the last two days. Thursday was a staff meeting with donuts - I had two. I also had banana bread and a football sandwich. Today was a little better, but I don't think the eggplant Parmesan was a good choice. I really gotta work on the whole willpower thing.

Other bad things: a lack of snow (what happened to winter?) - I am not a an of the stuff in February, but I am good with it around the Holidays. I am also having issues with people who don't understand what it means to be a runner. I try to talk about the subject and I get looked at like I am trying to be high-than-though. I don't have enough people in real life to talk to. I am not a fan.

My workouts:

Thursday morning - cross ramp 52 minutes, 6 miles - weights 30 minutes (chest, back, obliques, core)

Thursday evening - elliptical 45 minutes, 7.2 miles - weights (core)

Friday - elliptical 50 minutes, 8.2 miles - weights (arms, shoulders)

I put in a few solid machine miles this week, and I am very happy with it. I really need to start keeping track of all this. I rely on mapmyrun for my outdoor runs. I don't have any such thing for the gym.

I wanted to get another round on the stair climber, but it was always in use. Beyond that, I was able to stick with my plans. I think it has been a very successful two weeks, and I am starting to get more and more excited for breaking out races in the spring.

Tomorrow will be an outdoor run I think. It might rain, but it shouldn't be too cold. I need to reenergize my soul a little bit; the gym takes a lot out of my motivational stores.

What makes for a great week of training for you?

Have you seen any crazy drivers this week? Are you a crazy driver?

Do you have a fake or real Christmas tree?

What is your favorite machine at the gym?

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8 comments:

  1. I loooove sleep, at least 8 hours worth a night! Oh willpower, I am not good about that, especially around the holidays. My favorite gym machine is the eliptical unless classes count and then definitely spin!!

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    1. Willpower is tough. I always get annoyed with myself, and then I get annoyed with other people because they are usually the ones who introduce the temptation. I never buy anything or keep anything in the house that would tempt me, but I can't provide that same level of precaution at work.

      I used to shun the elliptical because I am a guy, and I thought it was only for women and old men. Then I realized that I can't run all the time because my body has a mileage count. I am even more a fan these days, as I continue to rehab a knee. Finally, I also love that I can zone out on the thing, unlike the treadmill. If you zone out on the treadmill you might fly off.

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  2. That's one biiiig tree! haha!

    I've continuously struggled with sleep for yeaars, so I always tell my friends to cherish it if they don't have the same issues as me!

    I don't think I actually REALLY like any machine at the gym. It's just kinda a necessity I need if I'm not running outside.

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  3. I know, right? I was waiting for one of two things to happen: 1. The tree falls through his cloth roof or 2. The tree falls off and causes a 6 car pile up.

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  4. So funny... a friend, who is also a runner, and I were just talking about how non-runners just don't get why we runners like/want to run! It's almost pointless to even try and explain because no matter what they think we're kind of crazy. I, too, even thought about how crazy we all are when I was running CIM and would look up to see thousands of "us" out there running in terrible conditions. It was awesome! So even if you don't have tons of *real life* running friends to talk to, you've got this super duper running blog community :)

    Real tree for us
    A great week of training is a 35+ mile week of running trails + at least 3 days of strength, and a plank a day
    Not a crazy driver, but I see lots of them on my street!
    I'm with Toronto Runner on the machines at the gym :)

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  5. I have a few friends to talk to running about, but the other friends think I am crazy to get out and run like I do. But they also don't exercise at all, so they just don't get the endorphin high that we runners experience.

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  6. I manage a running store so I am constantly surrounded by running and people talking about running. Most days I love it. I've always had a fake tree, lately I have begun to wonder if I've been missing out. Should I get a real tree this year?

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    1. I can't say that I recommend real trees; they are a lot of work. Maybe one day, when I have kids, I will do it once or twice... Doubt it though.

      Working at a running store sounds amazing. I always love going into my local store because you know everyone in there will understand you.

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