Well, hello there...
Fancy meeting you here. Been a little bit since I have been here but have continued working towards getting back into marathon shape and have made some modifications to my training based on what I have been learning in class.
First step in this process was to go visit one of my professors in the field of physical conditioning, the wonderful Dixie Stanforth. She and her husband, Phil, have been teaching the Physiological Basics of Human Conditioning at UT for 25+ years. They are great and filled with tons of technical knowledge that can help make decent athletes good, and good ones great.
I don't know what category on that spectrum I fall, but I know they will be able to increase my training regimen and make me better.
She gave me some ideas for how to increase my stamina and endurance. The main idea was to increase my intensity at least once a week by doing an interval run on a hill. I actually did this today and, let me tell you, it was tough. I attempted to sprint up a hill 10 times with the walk back down being my recovery time. At 5, I was incredibly winded and starting to feel the twinges in my calves and hip flexors. I decided to do one more and call it a day.
I do feel as if i can gain on this and am happy that I have a baseline for improvement. These interval runs will become my Friday morning staple. Six is my bottom, the only way to go is up from there.
What I am trying to gain with these interval runs is an increased stroke volume, meaning, I am trying to increase the amount of blood per stroke that my heart pushes out to provide oxygen to my muscles so that they may maintain their ability to work at a high level.
In order to find a limit for this production level, I also went to have my overall fitness tested and now know where I need to improve certain aspects of my fitness. I will go over all of these results tomorrow with you, but now it's time to get back to school.
Total miles for the week(so far): 5 with 2 runs planned tomorrow and Sunday.
Week goal: 12
Miles left: 7
I still haven't figured what full races I plan on doing this year, but am going to do a half sometime this spring semester. Am hoping that the run the Big D half again because that one was quick and easy. That is on my goal sheet for next week.
Have a wonderful and safe Friday out there.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Goal Setting and Meeting
So, twice in the past week, I have run across goal setting in my daily life and feel like it has come about as a reminder that in order to succeed at your goals in life, whether they be short or long term, big or small.
So, I have decided that in order to get back on my feet, literally, that I need to set some fitness goals, mostly with running.
They say that one of the main precursors to success when it comes to goal setting is to write them down, that way you can measure your progress. Another thing that I find to be incredibly helpful is to make your goals known to your friends, family, and really anyone that will listen, because then you have a support group that will try to keep you on track.
So, support group, here are some of my goals for 2013 as far as running and fitness are concerned and some of the steps I am currently taking to make them become reality:
I would like to complete two marathons this calendar year. It's only January so I have plenty of time seeing as it took me 16 weeks to train for the last one. First things first, I feel that I need to select a race and make it a realistic goal. That is my long term goal.
Now, in order to achieve a long term goal, I've been told it's best to set up short term, measurable and intermediate goals to help achieve long term goal status. So, this week I have challenged myself to log 12 miles on the road as well as cutting needless calories from my diet so I am also attempting a week, to start, of no soft drinks or fast food. As many of you may know, in the restaurant profession, with hours being somewhat ridiculous, that fast food sometimes presents itself as the easiest option. But, starting this week, I am holding off, at least until I build my fitness level back to where it needs to be.
Also, this week, I will be selecting my first race of the year. I am probably aiming for late May/June for a viable race that I will have time to train for and this is where you guys will come into play. I am going to narrow the field down to a few races and have you guys weigh in on what you think will be my best option. I WILL have a race chosen by Friday.
I am not setting any weight loss goals even though I could stand to lose a few pounds because if I do my training properly enough and couple it with a good diet, an actual weight loss goal will not be necessary.
So, you may ask, have I started chipping the miles away this week? It is Monday AND a holiday AND inauguration day, although I don't understand the purpose of shutting the capitol of our nation down to hold a seemingly unfree party to tell me that we have the same president, but I digress. Today would have been an easy day to chalk up excuses, but I am not going to. I knocked out 3 miles around the 40 acres and it was okay.
I forget what an arduous process this is and get frustrated sometimes, but the feeling of the earth pounding beneath my feet is amazing.
Thank you all for reading and for your continued support. As always, feedback is appreciated. I want to make this as fun for y'all as it is for me and can't wait to share this journey with you all again.
I will leave you with two things today:
In honor of MLK day, there's this. I tried to find a video, but there were none to be found of just this:
And this:
Will be back with progress updates later this week.
So, I have decided that in order to get back on my feet, literally, that I need to set some fitness goals, mostly with running.
They say that one of the main precursors to success when it comes to goal setting is to write them down, that way you can measure your progress. Another thing that I find to be incredibly helpful is to make your goals known to your friends, family, and really anyone that will listen, because then you have a support group that will try to keep you on track.
So, support group, here are some of my goals for 2013 as far as running and fitness are concerned and some of the steps I am currently taking to make them become reality:
I would like to complete two marathons this calendar year. It's only January so I have plenty of time seeing as it took me 16 weeks to train for the last one. First things first, I feel that I need to select a race and make it a realistic goal. That is my long term goal.
Now, in order to achieve a long term goal, I've been told it's best to set up short term, measurable and intermediate goals to help achieve long term goal status. So, this week I have challenged myself to log 12 miles on the road as well as cutting needless calories from my diet so I am also attempting a week, to start, of no soft drinks or fast food. As many of you may know, in the restaurant profession, with hours being somewhat ridiculous, that fast food sometimes presents itself as the easiest option. But, starting this week, I am holding off, at least until I build my fitness level back to where it needs to be.
Also, this week, I will be selecting my first race of the year. I am probably aiming for late May/June for a viable race that I will have time to train for and this is where you guys will come into play. I am going to narrow the field down to a few races and have you guys weigh in on what you think will be my best option. I WILL have a race chosen by Friday.
I am not setting any weight loss goals even though I could stand to lose a few pounds because if I do my training properly enough and couple it with a good diet, an actual weight loss goal will not be necessary.
So, you may ask, have I started chipping the miles away this week? It is Monday AND a holiday AND inauguration day, although I don't understand the purpose of shutting the capitol of our nation down to hold a seemingly unfree party to tell me that we have the same president, but I digress. Today would have been an easy day to chalk up excuses, but I am not going to. I knocked out 3 miles around the 40 acres and it was okay.
I forget what an arduous process this is and get frustrated sometimes, but the feeling of the earth pounding beneath my feet is amazing.
Thank you all for reading and for your continued support. As always, feedback is appreciated. I want to make this as fun for y'all as it is for me and can't wait to share this journey with you all again.
I will leave you with two things today:
In honor of MLK day, there's this. I tried to find a video, but there were none to be found of just this:
And this:
Will be back with progress updates later this week.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A year in the life...
Well, peace out 2012! What's up 2013?! I, along with everyone else, is wondering what you have in store for me/us. Will I win the lottery, get married, learn Kung Fu? Who knows? What I do know is that 2012 was a year of growth for me, I think.
So, as I sit here and enjoy my last few glasses of lavender and jasmine tea before leaving 2012 in my dreams and awakening in 2013, I wanted to just leave some thoughts on the page.
2012 seemed to just dart by for me. There were some firsts, like performing a wedding for two of my best friends, receiving my first text from my nephew, seeing my first show on Broadway, visiting Fenway Park and Boston, as well as many other small firsts.
2012 also marked the last time that I will see my Grandmother and Great Aunt Pat in this life, but I know that I will see them again someday. I'm glad they are not forced to suffer through any more illness in this place and may now finally rest in peace alongside their loving husbands. This holiday season was tough without them around, but we made it through with some fond memories nonetheless.
2012 also was a time of discovery for me. I found out how I want to be treated in a relationship, and while that relationship did not continue down the path it started upon, I am and will be forever grateful to Katie Phillips for making me realize and understand the importance of having a partner and the truth of a relationship being a give and take for both people. I will never be in a relationship again in which I am the only one doing the work and I have her to thank for it.
I also discovered exactly why they call it a "comfort zone" as I have decided to step out of mine and have reenrolled in college to get a second degree and change the path that I have been traveling down all these years. I am ready for a change and am taking up the mantra of fortune favoring the bold and putting myself back out there in order to make a better life for myself. I used to believe that good things would just happen to me if I treated others and myself well, but it's so much more than that. This is the first time in many years that I am attempting to make an opportunity present itself and it's scary as Hell, but it feels right.
I also rediscovered my joy for writing. Many of you who have been reading this blog may be scratching your head at this statement because y'all have seen me write and read what I have written so you know I have always liked to write. What I am talking about is different, though. I am talking about writing for myself. Putting my thoughts on paper to come back to and rework and work through in due time.
Now, I am not gonna sit here in my new chair and say that 2012 was the most seminal year of my life, but it was a good one and I look to build upon it moving forward into 2013.
Here are some things you can look forward to with me in 2013:
As I begin school in a few weeks, I will be asking you all to take the journey with me so be on the lookout for a companion blog to this one, tentatively titled jefffarrisstudying.blogspot.com
In this blog I intend to chronicle the life of a 33 year old back in school and learning a new trade. There will probably be some interesting and funny things come up in this area of my life and I am going to try to keep everyone abreast of the goings on in my neck of the 40 acres.
Also new in 2013 will be a third blog, tentatively titled jefffarrisreviewing.blogspot.com in which I will review stuff. Yeah, the title isn't that clever, but it's straightforward. I just know a lot of what I do and talk about when it comes to consumerism is based on what someone else has told me. I don't like reading national reviews, I like an actual person who is using a product, listening to a song, watching a movie, etc to tell me what they think about it so I am going to write periodically about stuff I buy, use or see, just in case other people are interested in the same thing.
There will also continue to be updates on my running. Starting when I wake up in a few hours, I'm gonna be hitting the road again. My goal for 2013 right now is two half marathons and two full marathons, although with school and work, there may not be enough time to do two full, but that is the initial goal.
I also want to do something fun this year, well fun for me. I want to write letters again. The internet is cool and email kicks ass, but there's nothing more exciting than receiving a letter in the mail so I am requesting that people send me their addresses and anyone who sends me an address will receive a letter from me.
I sure hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years celebration with those that they love and I hope 2013 turns out to be exactly what everyone wants it to be.
So, as I sit here and enjoy my last few glasses of lavender and jasmine tea before leaving 2012 in my dreams and awakening in 2013, I wanted to just leave some thoughts on the page.
2012 seemed to just dart by for me. There were some firsts, like performing a wedding for two of my best friends, receiving my first text from my nephew, seeing my first show on Broadway, visiting Fenway Park and Boston, as well as many other small firsts.
2012 also marked the last time that I will see my Grandmother and Great Aunt Pat in this life, but I know that I will see them again someday. I'm glad they are not forced to suffer through any more illness in this place and may now finally rest in peace alongside their loving husbands. This holiday season was tough without them around, but we made it through with some fond memories nonetheless.
2012 also was a time of discovery for me. I found out how I want to be treated in a relationship, and while that relationship did not continue down the path it started upon, I am and will be forever grateful to Katie Phillips for making me realize and understand the importance of having a partner and the truth of a relationship being a give and take for both people. I will never be in a relationship again in which I am the only one doing the work and I have her to thank for it.
I also discovered exactly why they call it a "comfort zone" as I have decided to step out of mine and have reenrolled in college to get a second degree and change the path that I have been traveling down all these years. I am ready for a change and am taking up the mantra of fortune favoring the bold and putting myself back out there in order to make a better life for myself. I used to believe that good things would just happen to me if I treated others and myself well, but it's so much more than that. This is the first time in many years that I am attempting to make an opportunity present itself and it's scary as Hell, but it feels right.
I also rediscovered my joy for writing. Many of you who have been reading this blog may be scratching your head at this statement because y'all have seen me write and read what I have written so you know I have always liked to write. What I am talking about is different, though. I am talking about writing for myself. Putting my thoughts on paper to come back to and rework and work through in due time.
Now, I am not gonna sit here in my new chair and say that 2012 was the most seminal year of my life, but it was a good one and I look to build upon it moving forward into 2013.
Here are some things you can look forward to with me in 2013:
As I begin school in a few weeks, I will be asking you all to take the journey with me so be on the lookout for a companion blog to this one, tentatively titled jefffarrisstudying.blogspot.com
In this blog I intend to chronicle the life of a 33 year old back in school and learning a new trade. There will probably be some interesting and funny things come up in this area of my life and I am going to try to keep everyone abreast of the goings on in my neck of the 40 acres.
Also new in 2013 will be a third blog, tentatively titled jefffarrisreviewing.blogspot.com in which I will review stuff. Yeah, the title isn't that clever, but it's straightforward. I just know a lot of what I do and talk about when it comes to consumerism is based on what someone else has told me. I don't like reading national reviews, I like an actual person who is using a product, listening to a song, watching a movie, etc to tell me what they think about it so I am going to write periodically about stuff I buy, use or see, just in case other people are interested in the same thing.
There will also continue to be updates on my running. Starting when I wake up in a few hours, I'm gonna be hitting the road again. My goal for 2013 right now is two half marathons and two full marathons, although with school and work, there may not be enough time to do two full, but that is the initial goal.
I also want to do something fun this year, well fun for me. I want to write letters again. The internet is cool and email kicks ass, but there's nothing more exciting than receiving a letter in the mail so I am requesting that people send me their addresses and anyone who sends me an address will receive a letter from me.
I sure hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Years celebration with those that they love and I hope 2013 turns out to be exactly what everyone wants it to be.
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