Round 7: Day 6: Run

The inevitable march towards winter continues, as evidenced by this morning's run. What used to be a pleasant experience, up and out at 6:30AM in mid-summer heat and sun has changed to awakening in darkness and entering a cool, sombre and forbidding world.

But it's not all bad. The air was somewhat crisp but refreshing, and darkness gave way to a beautiful sunrise midway through the run. My mind completely blanked out as I was running, almost like I was on automatic pilot. Before I knew it, the circuit had been completed, and my time was as fast as I've ever achieved. I think it's time to add a little more distance. I'm definitely capable of it, as it doesn't take too long to recover. All I need to do is to map out the circuit extension, or perhaps create a new route entirely. There's a nearby ravine which would be a pleasant addition, both in terms of hill training and adding some beauty to the trip.

Much of my body soreness has dissipated overnight, it seems, making me a little more optimistic about heading into Week 2. I still haven't printed out a schedule for the new Round, so far sticking to the principles of the last schedule, but I'll likely get to updating within a week or two. It's nice to have an idea in advance of the workout, and also to check on the frequency of workouts. More information is better.

Looking forward to a rest day, then bring on Week 2.

Round 7: Day 5: Diamond Delts

In spite of the restful and calming effect yoga had on me yesterday, coupled with an excellent sleep last night (I slept in this morning!) I still felt stiff and sore from the week's workouts. Obviously, it's going to take more than a couple of days to settle into my new exercise regimen. I was hopeful and optimistic that soreness would dissipate within a few days, but it seems like I should face up to the possibility that this could last a week or longer. C'est la vie.

As in my workouts earlier this week, I reduced the weight on several exercises, due to general body fatigue and an awareness of protecting my lower back from sustaining any injury. It still amazes me how much strength my body has lost over the past few weeks, as even with the reduced weight, in several exercises my number of repetitions still decreased. I had thought that a weight reduction would result in a repetition increase. Not so, at least for today. This was just one of those days where you Do Your Best and Forget the Rest. Occasionally, there will be days like this. I just haven't experienced too many of them (thankfully) and hope that they remain few, and far between.

The weather this week has taken a turn for the worse, and it looks like September is going to be a cool month. I'm still optimistic that I'll have numerous opportunities to run outdoors and, it appears, that tomorrow will temporarily banish the cloud and rain, and afford us a sunny day. I'm already looking forward to the end of Week 1 and a one day recovery on Saturday.

Round 7: Day 4: Yoga

Considering all the aches my body is currently experiencing, having just returned to my workout regimen, I was both looking forward to, and dreading, yoga. Over the past few weeks, I've felt a bit of tightening in my hamstrings and, due to a bit of stress on my back, a little residual soreness and constrained movement when bending forwards. Both of these areas get a lot of attention during a typical yoga practice.

Mentally, I was really prepared for yoga. Physically, not so much. Just bending over at the start of the practice made me realize that I've lost a bit of flexibility in the past few weeks. My hands didn't quite hit the mat in the manner they used to, and it felt like my hamstrings were preventing my legs from completely straightening out. My range of motion improved as the practice went on, but it was really a challenge today. My right hamstring in particular felt tight, especially during the hamstring stretch portion of the practice, but I was still able to grasp the bottom of my heel and get my nose relatively close to my knee. It's a challenge to keep the leg straight during this pose, but I felt that I was coming reasonably close to success.

Sore as my body was, I felt much better following yoga. It wasn't the full body massage feeling I've had on previous occasions, but it definitely took the edge off, and eased the worst of the soreness. Remember, this is only Week 1, and there's bound to be some soreness at the outset of a program. In time, my body should adjust. I just hope that time comes sooner, rather than later.

Namaste.

Round 7: Day 3: Just Arms

Starting over can be liberating; it can be frustrating; it can also be very, very painful. I'm still smarting (not in the good way) from Sunday's 30-15 workout. It's a bit embarrassing when you think you're in good shape, only to discover that your body seriously objects to some exercise following a 3-week hiatus. I thought I was better than this. Apparently, not.

But that's why I exercise. To be a better me. So, I'll accept short-term pain as a reminder not to lay off for too long again. My body will once again become accustomed to the daily regimen and, hopefully, I'll be rewarded by having a body which operates smoothly, efficiently and pain-free on a daily basis for many years to come. That's the plan, anyway. And it's always good to have a plan.

Today I got back into Just Arms. I didn't think that I could handle any shoulder or chest exercises, still being quite sore from the resistance workout a couple of days ago, so I felt that limiting the workout to arms would be tolerable. To my surprise (and delight) the workout went reasonably well. I decreased the weight on a couple of exercises (forearms and hammer curls) and managed to complete the workout without incident. For the last few months, hammer curls have been my nemesis, so decreasing the weight was probably a good move, to increase reps and gain a greater benefit from doing the exercise. Unfortunately, my arms were out of gas (it was the third exercise from the end of the workout) so reps didn't go up, in spite of the 5lb weight decrease. There's still a little endurance to be built up. Right now, my triceps are screaming with pain, and my biceps are still looking puffy and inflated. The good news is that weightlifting didn't have any adverse effect on my recently stressed back. It appears as though things have returned to normal. I'll be very careful to ensure that I'm lifting with good, clean form, so as to avoid any aggravation of the back, and will do some gentle, supplementary exercises to strengthen the affected area.

Yoga is going to be most welcome tomorrow, as always.

Round 7: Day 2: Run

It's still nice here in Toronto, although the weather is turning a bit cooler and the sun is rising a little later, as time continues its inevitable march towards winter, bringing mornings of extended darkness. I don't know about my fellow city-dwellers, but I try to make the most of daylight while we still have it, and want to stay outside as long as possible before having to bring my exercise routines indoors. I'm not much for winter sports (is there anything more beautiful or perfect than baseball?) so I spend my winter mornings exercising in darkness, dreaming of the day when the earth's rotation will bring us back to fairer weather, bringing with it the eternal hope that comes with Spring Training.

All of this is to say that I'm still not back to indoor cardio training (take that, Shaun T!) and will continue to spend my time outside running while I still can. I'm sure the various tortures of Insanity will still be waiting for me, and in short time, Shaun T will take his revenge by showing me just how out of shape I am. Having done indoor cardio workouts, I'm fully aware of the benefit of plyometric training, and its superiority to the regularity of running. I'm just going to try to extend summer as long as I can.

Round 7: Day 1: 30-15

After a few weeks off, I'm back to stressing my body. Time off is nice, but it can encourage some bad habits. I slipped a bit in terms of nutrition and exercise. I got used to sleeping in and to not working out first thing in the morning. I ate a bit of crap (some of the most delicious ice cream I've ever had in my life - hey, sometimes you've got to live a little), some beer, some cheese, and some bread. It may not sound like much, but my body has become so used to my nutrition plan that when I deviated, my body really reacted in a negative way. My system is used to processing certain foods and when I introduce something I haven't eaten in a few years, my body seems to reject it. It may be tasty in my mouth, but digestion is an entirely different story. My body is changing due to age and to nutrition, it seems, and I'm either becoming less tolerant or more pure, depending on how you look at things. At any rate, listening to your body has taken on a new meaning for me, as it now includes nutrition, as well as giving consideration to the general aches and pains of physically working out.

I spent some time away from home (and away from my trusty DVD player and hence, from Tony) and decided to take some workouts which I could follow without having to use any electronics (i.e., write down the sequences on a sheet of paper and follow it, like the good old days). This went well for a day, when I stretched myself to run a good distance down some country roads, breathing fantastically fresh air and feeling a renewed sense of life and energy. The next day, I pursued a modified form of 30-15, alternating leg and ab exercises with various types of pushups. All went well, with the exception of finishing strong by cranking out 50 Mason Twists (on a dock overlooking a glass-like lake, with the sun rising majestically over the far shore). Twists completed, I retired happily to a lawn chair to read a book (Brain Rules, by John Medina - a recommended read), and spent the balance of the day feeling my back seize up. Unfortunately, I think the twists (which I've done hundreds of times) gave me a bit of back tweak, which took about 5 days to un-tweak. I'll be more careful about focussing on engaging my core in the future.

Following my recovery, I spent a few days running, which is giving me more joy these days, and contemplating what Round 7 should look like. I still don't really have any specific ideas, so for now, I think I'll pursue the hybrid plan that I just completed, until something else appeals to me. I'm pretty satisfied with my progress to date, and more of the same (keeping things blended and mixed to encourage motivation, interest and results) seems like a worthy goal. I'm a little tired of Diamond Delts, Just Arms, Shoulders and Arms, Back and Biceps, and Chest/Shoulders/Triceps, so I'm on the lookout for some alternative workouts which will hit the same body parts, but with a different sequence of exercises. I'm looking into the One on One series for some more workouts which will help accomplish this.

Getting back to working out after a 3 week layoff was tough. 30-15 is an uncompromising routine. After 3 weeks, my upper body was a bit weak and tired. I've heard (and read) that the human body is an amazing machine unlike any other: the more you use it, the better it becomes. This was definitely borne out through 30-15. Not having done it in a while, it's tougher than ever. And that's only a 3 week layoff. My numbers were down pretty much across the board. Most pushups were down by 5 (25 instead of 30). It was a little disappointing, definitely humbling, and yet, somewhat encouraging. I've now got a challenge to meet. I'm reminded of the feeling I had when I first started P90X. It will be a bit of a climb, but, over time, I'll make some gains.

Bring It!