2012 Goal Setting

When talking "goal setting" I am usually hyperfocused on athletic endeavors. Well, I don't really see that changing for the year 2012. This year will be a different year than the years I have had in the past. Goals that I have set up and knocked down in the past include:

2006: Bench Press 300lbs
2007: Sub 19 minute 5k
2008: Compete in a Triathlon
2009: Do an Ironman
2010: Complete an Ultramarathon
2011: Compete at the 50K distance (This was originally "Run a 50 mile Trail Race" but readjusted to my liking).

In 2006 it was strength related. From there I switched to speed and endurance, leading to the past three years which have been primarily endurance. Each goal was set up and knocked down with vigor. When I look back, I can definitely say there were more good times than bad. The only issue with the approach that I took was the amount of focus laid upon just one discipline. Of course, I say it's a problem because I am looking at the goals of the past with the eyes of the future.
Setting up goals for the 2012 season requires a certain reflection into how the previous goals were achieved, along with positive and negative outcomes of the training that came along with them.
2006: Bench Press 1 rep max of 300lbs
This goal did not start on or before the first of the year like many new goals start. I believe that I started this goal well into the 2006 season. I had been relatively fit to begin with but I did not have any direction I was heading. While watching TV one day I came across the trailer to the movie "300." Holy shit those guys were ripped! Even if you haven't seen the movie, I'm sure everyone has witnessed the iconic scene when King Leonidus kicks the Persian messenger into the well yelling, "This Is Sparta!" From that moment I decided that I wanted my best to look like those guys and to really up my strength and size. Over the course of 6 months I beat myself up in the gym twice a day, five to six days a week. At the end of 6 months, I went from bench pressing a measely 180lbs to a whopping 1 rep max of 300lbs. But increasing my strength and the focus it needed came at a price. My running was curtailed to once or twice a week, no more than 3 miles. I lost all sorts of flexibility with the increased muscle size. T-shirts were ill-fitting at best with some of my nice button-down shirts from AE not fitting at all. And to top it all off, I just did not feel healthy.
Later that fall, I decided to jump into my hometown 5k. What a blast! I had forgotten how much fun it was to be a runner and actually compete. When being a meathead weightlifter, there just isn't the competition aspect that running had. From that moment I decided that I wanted to start running again. I had completed my strength goal, now onto the next one!

2007: Run a sub 19 minute 5K
The road back to being a runner was a hard one. Packing in all that muscle in a short time left me with little endurance. Weighing in at 215lbs, I knew I had to drop weight and muscle mass. I stopped lifting heavy weights and started a running program that had me running four to five times a week. Slowly the muscle mass started to drop and my times were improving. I'm not exactly sure that I reached my goal of Sub 19 minutes this year, but the fact that I had started and continued getting faster was a positive. Not only that, but my clothes started fitting better and I was feeling a lot healthier. I competed in a lot of events that year ranging from 5k to 10 miles. Each one prepping me for what was to come the next season.

2008: The First Triathlons
Over the course of the winter I picked up swimming and biking. It had always been a goal of mine to do a triathlon after watching Ironman Lake Placid on TV one year. Since I was becoming a better runner, I knew how to swim, and I had recently purchased a bike, I figured why not? I signed up for 4 triathlons that year: Tri Shark Classic, Mattoon Beach Sprint Triathlon, Lake Evergreen Olympic Distance Triathlon, and a sprint in Effingham in the fall. I'm not going to give race reports on the four races but I can say that I dropped Tri Shark because the swim got rained out, I took 3rd place at Mattoon, 1st in my age group at Evergreen, and 2nd overall in Effingham. After that last fall triathlon I knew I was kind of hooked and wanted to test myself with an Ironman. One month later as I was driving home from the Park Forest Scenic 5 mile race, I signed up for Ironman Louisville 2009.

2009: Ironman Louisville
By now, the 215lb musclehead Clint had been whittled down to the chistled triathlete. Countless yards in the pool, 1,000's of miles on the bike, and many many hours running had got me down to 185lbs of muscle and endurance. My race times had all dropped that year, and I finished 1st place overall at one of the sprint triathlons that I had entered. Ironman Louisville was one of the greatest accomplishments that I have yet to achieve. You really find out a lot about yourself when you are out on the road competing over the course of 140.6 miles. Upon completing Ironman Louisville my body was spent. I went from sprint to full Ironman in two years and the wear and tear were evident. I believe that it took about 2 months to really heal from the damage I did to myself on that day. When I was finally healed I had time to reflect on what 2010 was going to entail. I just knew that it was not going to involve that stupid bike and swimming laps. It was going to be distance running.

2010: Ultramarathon Running
I did not start out this year thinking that I was going to run an Ultramarathon. I was digging around through some races and figured I would do the Quad Cities Marathon. I had never ran a marathon before (except in the Ironman) and figured this year would be a great year to do it. As I started ticking away the miles of one of my long runs I thought to myself, "why not sign up for a 50k ultra? You have proven that you can run a marathon, let's take it further." I cruised the resources again and found an Ultramarathon that would give me an extra week of training to log an extra long run: The Farmdale 30 mile trail run. The training went without a hitch and the next thing I know, I'm toeing the start line on a cool October morning. That cool October morning turned into 89 degrees by mile 20. Even though I had to endure a decent amount of cramping at mile 28, I was still able to run the race in under 5 hours which was good enough for 4th place male. After about 3 weeks and the soreness wore off, I did not have the same negative emotions about running like I did with biking and swimming after the Ironman. It was then that I set up my goal for 2011.

2011: Indecision 50mile or Fast 50K?
Closing out the 2010 season, I decided that I wanted to run another 50k and then try to complete a 50 mile ultramarathon. I had a stellar training plan and like magic, the miles were ticking by very smoothly. About half way through my season I made the conscious decision that I would rather get faster and try to place at a 50k than try to finish a 50 miler. Now, as I toed the start line of this 50k, I was a thin 178lb runner. I hadn't touched a weight room in two years and I couldn't bench press even my bodyweight. But the fact remained that my body was trained for the ultra running and that was what mattered. I finished that race in 2nd place to a good friend of mine (a veteran ultra runner).

2012
Many successful years have come and gone. Now, as I am embarking upon the 2012 season, I have to analyze what I want from this year. I've been strong, I've been fast, I've had endurance. The challenge for this 2012 season is to achieve balance. Specifically what does a balance consist of? I want to increase my strength in the major lifts: deadlift, squat, bench press, military press, and rows. I want to increase my pullups/chinups, pushups, and dips. I'd like to better my physique through proper diet and exercise. And I'd like to be able to head out the door on any given day and run 10-15 miles. Another goal that I have is strictly diet related. I've toyed around with the Paleo diet before in the past with amazing results. That diet though, is really hard to follow when you are running 60 miles per week. Since I am curtailling my running down to something more manageable, I am going to try and follow the paleo diet more stricly over the course of the 2012 season. So far, I've been back on the Paleo diet for a few weeks and have already noticed a difference in muscle definition and energy.
This blog will never be a self promoting "here are my workouts, look at what I can do!" rant. Occasionally I may post about my progress, but the main reason for this post is to air out the goals and to get them on paper. These goals, like all things, are not static. Things will change and be modified as time goes forward. And as the year goes, goals will become more defined and specific. Until that time, though, this is what I've got.
***NOTE***
I do have other goals outside of working out. Odd, I know, but for once I am starting to see the forest for the trees and realize that I'm not making a living off of this. So there are going to be personal goals for 2012 as well. Which I may or may not post when I figure out what they are. Again, time will tell.

Cheers

The First Snow

I found this picture online yesterday morning and was completely awestruck. I don't know why this picture moved me as much as it did but here it is

The photographer was David Kaplan.

I woke up this morning and took this photo

This photo brought with it a handful of mixed feelings. The intial feelings were childlike at best. That first snow, no matter how many years go by, always leaves me a little delighted with butterflies in my stomach. But when I stand there and look at the scene long enough, those same butterflies begin to die off and turn rancid. The same snow that used to mean snow days, snowball fights, snowmen and Christmas, now mean hazardous driving, cold wet shoes, and shoveling the sidewalks and driveway. The years of growing up start to eat away at the child inside of you.

The challenge that I am issuing myself this year is to take every snow-laden scene and view it like that first picture. And I challenge everyone else to do the same. Don't see the burdens; see the colors and wonders. Let the butterflies in your stomach run their course a little longer than usual. It's well deserved. We're only on this earth a short time. There is no need to let responsibilities and burdens run rampant for ever minute of every day.

Christmas, New Years, and Goal Setting

It's that time of the year again when Jolly Ol' Saint Nick comes around giving all the good girls and boys presents and good tidings. You could also argue that Jesus was born on or around this time of the year as well, but it seems like everyone has forgotten about that. During the majority of the year, the church pews sit with the Christ followers and the weekend redeemers. But Christmas is the one time of year that really brings out all the heathens and heaven sent under one roof. The onset of December often has me questioning the meaning of Christmas. It always seems to be a lot of "I want this" and "Santa, give me that." The looks on the faces of holiday shoppers is never as cheery as you see on the television. They assume run you over while you're on fire, than to step aside and be the least bit courteous. Even outside the stores, the blatant disregard for the fellow man runs rampant. Cutting each other off, running red lights, and giving the one finger salute. The weeks turn into days as we slowly approach Christmas and the problems just seem to magnify. It is all very discouraging to the onlooker that just wants to see Christ in Christmas.
It is Christmas Eve and I am on my way to church. The past 23 days have deadened my emotions to this holiday. This holiday that I always fear has been outright forgotten. Walking in with my Grandmother, I look around at all the faces. Happy, cheery,embracing one another, and giving each other well wishes. For the first time in years I really start to revel in the magnificence that is Jesus and this holiday. I enter the church pew with grandma on my left and a stranger on my right. The lights are dimmed down low and the song "Oh Come all Ye Faithful" starts to play. We are asked to stand and sing. Looking around at everyone standing, singing, and rejoicing I begin to believe in humanity once again. Even though for 360 some odd days a year we are all indifferent to each other, for that one night, we are one in the birth of Jesus Christ. And that gives me hope.

Merry Christmas

Season recap and 5 tips for moderate success

Running this year was full of "ups" and a lot less "downs" than usual. The training was consistent, the injuries not very prevalent, and the race results were all that I could have really hoped for. I logged many weekend long runs over the 20 mile mark with one marathon distance training run and one 50k distance training run. All of those long runs were met with a run of 90+ minutes the day after. A short recap of race results:

Comlara Park 50K: 2nd place male 4:43:?? (the course was more like 33-34 miles b/c of an unintentional reroute due to some course markers removed by pedestrians. Sub 9min mile pace)

Farmdale 8.35 mile trail run: 1st place male (By 5 minutes)

Run the Woods 5K: 2nd Place Male

Tri the Illini: Fastest 5k I've ever ran off the bike at 18min and change. 3rd or 4th in my age group.

**NOTE** In some early posts I was training for the Farmdale 50 Mile Trail Run. Due to a change in interests I decided to focus on the 50k. The training was spot on for the 50 mile race, but I just didn't feel like running that slow for that long.

5 tips for a Succuessful 2012 Running Season

1.) Balancing your workload
When looking at training plans pay special attention to recovery runs and rest days. No matter how good you feel while out for a recovery run, hold yourself back. These runs are supposed to be therapeutic. If you go out there and trash your legs because you were "feeling it," chances are that in 2 or 3 runs later that week you'll tweak something. Rest days are exactly what they sound like. Can you go out and enjoy a brisk walk? Yes, by all means do so. Can you go on a leisurely bike ride? Of course! Just keep your extra activity to a minimum on rest days to really reap the benefits and to help improve your day to day running.

2.) Pacing
This could also be lumped into the above heading but I'll seperate it in case I can't think of 5 tips :) . I know a lot of runners that have the mindset, "I have to run fast all the time to improve. I'm going to run a PR during every training run." Newsflash: It's training. Check the ego at the door and save it for race day and your weekly speed session. I'm not all that fast, but with minimum speed training I can pull together a 5k in sub 18 minutes with my long runs being close to 10min per mile. I rarely ever hit my race pace during weekly training sessions, and when I do it is every 7 to 10 days. Be consistent, run slow on recovery runs and long runs, and you will get faster.

3.) Diet
80% of your body composition is what you eat. Believe it or not, you can go out there and log 50 mile weeks and not lose a pound (and perhaps gain weight). I saw it all the time at the running store I worked for. People would come in during the middle of the marathon training season, yes, their legs were tone and sinewy, but they were still lugging their gut around. On the weekends I would see these people packed into bars during Happy Hours drinking to their hearts content, "I ran 20 miles today, so I'm going to treat myself to a drink." That's all fine and dandy, but the carb reload you did after the run, the full pasta dinner, and the beer are a bit overkill. I'm not going to say what to eat and how much, but make smart choices.

4.) Weight training
The often neglected step child to running. Many people say that you don't need to strength train to be a good runner. Partly this statement is true. If you go out and run in the woods where the directions change, elevation changes, you have to vary your stride, and jump over obstacles, then the strength kind of comes naturally. But if you are like the 95% of runners who never stray from the roads or treadmill, you should incorporate some strength training. When running on the road and on the treadmill, the focus tends to be to run forward and get from point A to point B. You're moving in one plane like the old side-scrolling Mario video games. What happens is that the muscles used to stabilze often get weak. When these muscles get weak, they can't help out the major muscle groups when they get fatigued. Hence the formation of knee and hip problems. Here are a few exercises to do: Lungewalks, hip adductors and abductors, calf raises, and planks for your core. Short sweet and to the point. Do these 2-3 times a week and help keep yourself balanced.

5.) Have Fun
When running starts to feel like a job, step back and reevaulate why you are doing it and what got you into running. My biggest tip for getting out of a rut is to ditch the fancy sports watches, the heart rate monitors, and your pre-determined running routes. Go out unadulterated and just enjoy running. I guarantee that if you do a couple of runs like this, you'll zap yourself out of the rut and get back into the game again.