Mo' Motivation

I don't think you can ever have enough motivation... good motivation that is. Not the dad yelling in the stands kind of motivation, but the kind that resonates deep within you and promotes change in your life or further strengthens your resolve to carry on. I particularly like quotes. I'm not a huge reader, so a short little saying directly to the point is perfect for me. Like this quote that is one of my new favorites. It comes from the movie "Act of Valor."

"No one is stronger or more dangerous than a man who can harness his emotions, his past."

A friend sent me this very inspirational story today. I don't know who the author is, I'd like to find that out.

“Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile [Note: when running on his own in 1968, Lee would get his time down to six-and-a half minutes per mile].

So this morning he said to me “We’re going to go five.”

I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.”

He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.”

I said “Okay, hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, I can’t go any more and so I say to him, “Bruce if I run any more,” –and we’re still running-” if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.”

He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles.

Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you say that?”

He said, “Because you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over into the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

Own Gym - Week One/Day Four

Muscular Endurance Block

7.5 Minute Ladders - Leg Muscles

Side Lunges - 30/36 reps
2 minute rest
One-Legged Romanian Deadlifts - 35/36 reps
2 minute rest
Toyotas - 55/36 reps - Modified for Achilles
2 minute rest
Russian Twists - 75/36 reps

*Following images are examples of the above workouts. 
 Images courtesy of Men's Health Magazine.

Side Lunges

One-Legged Romanian Dead Lift

Toyotas - Variant

Russian Twists - Variant

Own Gym - Week One/Day Three

Muscular Endurance Block

7.5 Minute Ladders - Push/Pull

Classic Push-Ups - 36/36 reps
2 minute rest
Let Me Ups - 36/36 reps
2 minute rest
Military Press - 36/36 reps
2 minute rest
Let Me Ins - 36/36 reps

As you can see I've figured out the required reps! I'm also using another app to work on my pushup strength. My arms have never really been the strong area of my body. It's all been legs from running and cycling. In this 3 months of downtime, I figured I'll work on the upper body and see what happens. It'll sure make throwing my 3 year old up in the air easier I think!

The other app I'm using is from the Android Market called Push Ups - Your Personal Fitness Trainer. It says that by the end I'll be able to do 100-150 in a row! I'll be amazed if it works, right now I'm at 21 in a row. My best ever was in boot camp at 72 reps in a row without resting.

So, we'll see what this upper body work brings. Maybe a stronger swim once I get back in the water? Maybe I can be swimming right now... I'll have to ask the doctor. That would be a nice way to maintain some cardio conditioning. Gym memberships are just so expensive and I'd only be using the pool.

Own Gym - Week One/Day Two

Muscular Endurance Block

7.5 Minute Ladders - Leg Muscles

Back Lunges - 33/36 reps
2 minute rest
One Legged Romanian Deadlifts - 25/36 reps
2 minute rest
Toyotas - 43/36 reps - I had to modify these for my Achilles.
2 minute rest
Hyperextensions - 55/36 reps

Own Gym - Week One/Day One

Muscular Endurance Block

7.5 Minute Ladders - Push/Pull

Classic Push-Ups - 55/36 reps
2 minute rest
Let Me Ups - 36/36 reps
2 minute rest
Military Press - 40/36 reps
2 minute rest
Let Me Ins - 30/36 reps

I didn't understand during this first workout that the recommended reps for this portion was 36. So, I was just going at it and doing what I could.

I encourage you, if you are curious about what these workouts are to check out the $2 app and give it a shot!

New Workout Format

I'll be using Mark Lauren's app for iPhone and Android called "Own Gym." It's based on his book "You Are Your Own Gym" that contains a very comprehensive list of workouts that can be done in your home without any special equipment. I've never been a gym rat, so this approach to "lifting" is perfect for me.  I have the Rope in a Bag suspension training system, which is like TRX but a lot cheaper. So, instead of using some of the methods Mark Lauren suggests to attain the exercises, I use the suspension system. 

Things I love about this app is that it's a no-brainer approach to working out. I don't have to think about what I want to do, it's simply laid out for me with a timer, videos of what to do, and it even counts my total reps! It's a daily training tool that from my experience so far is perfect. 

Here are a few screenshots of what it looks like.

Let the journey begin!

Ride to Branson and Overall Update

I've been putting off officially postponing the ride for as long as possible. I have desperately wanted to somehow make it work, but given the fact that my Achilles aren't improving, it gave me no choice but to call it off. It's really difficult when I feel like it's something I can actually do to help out the cause of Race for Valor and I'm forced to cancel/postpone it due to an injury I didn't even see coming and I'm not quite sure how it occurred.

The ride was something I could do to get the word of Race for Valor out to a little bit larger audience and in doing so raise money to support the men and women who it was created for. In having to call off the ride, I can't help but feel like I'm letting them down. I've got such high hopes for Race for Valor and the community of Team Race for Valor to do great things to give back to our military members, waiting to see what happens and to make a difference is the hardest part.

So for now I'll be maintaining what fitness I can through lifting and some heavy bag workouts. Cardio will have to try and be maintained through intervals and heavy bag workouts and I'll just work on building a stronger body in the meanwhile, so that when the time comes to get back on the bike and lace up the running shoes, I'll be ready to go.

I've been using a book called "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren. I've never really been one to go to the gym so the workouts he uses can all be done in the home. If you own a TRX or other suspension workout system like Rope in a Bag, then many of these workouts can be done using that.

I'll post the days and progress of each as well as try to blog more about progress on the Achilles. I've been avoiding the blog, just because actually writing down the problems I've been going through with my tendons would have been to accept them and I just wasn't ready to do that. I just kept hoping it would suddenly get better and I could go on training. I think I'm ready to accept it though and move on in what physical capacity I can until they heal.

As far as Race for Valor and Team Race for Valor are going, I'm working hard to recruit companies to sponsor Team Race for Valor, so that we can design/buy jerseys/tshirts/socks/etc... and so we can begin to organize races to support our mission. As soon as we get some funding we'll begin to realize the potential of a community such as Team Race for Valor and races organized to benefit our military community.