Days Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three - Same Old Same Old

Having a lot to do at work is making it harder to update everyday, but(as you can see on my Facebook wall), I've made it to the gym every morning this week so far. Tomorrow, and I'm five for five.

Since I'm switching to a new lifting program next week, I've been resting and doing mostly cardio. Which, after four days, is getting boring. Next Monday(and doing something other than getting on the treadmill, stretching, and ab work) can't come soon enough.

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Seeing that I get to the gym around nine in the morning, a friend sent me a Facebook message asking if I worked from home, or if my office didn't care when I got into work as long as my work got done. Neither is the case.

I have the luxury, however, of working at an ad agency, and our standard start time is around 10am. Plus, my gym is about two blocks from the office. So, as long as I'm at the gym before 9:15 for a short workout or 8:45 for a long workout, I won't be late for work. In fact, I might be "early".

It does make this morning-gym thing a lot easier, I'll admit.

Day Twenty One - More Of The Same

I'm doing some steady-state cardio instead of interval training, just to change it up. I actually end up running about the same distance either way; I'll probably switch back to interval once I get used to steady-state again. The best program is the one you aren't on, my trainer likes to say.

It'll be hard to keep doing cardio three times a week, though, when I start lifting four times a week - which will be my new program starting next Monday. I've had pretty good results following(with some adaption) the programs in The New Rules Of Lifting, so I see no reason to stop now. Since I only have time to work out in the morning, doing (almost, just about) an hour of weights plus cardio is not realistic. At least not now - maybe if I start getting up really early, like six in the morning.

Three more days this week for five in a row...

Days Eighteen & Nineteen - Running and Working

Work kept me from updating yesterday, and kept me from the gym today. I had an early meeting that required preparation, so I decided to just get up and come to work extra-early. Still, it would have been nice to have the early-rise habit so ingrained that rising even earlier would have been as easy as flicking on(off?) a switch. Alas, I'm not there yet.

Yesterday, I made it for a morning run. The new gym shoes are working out great. I ended up working late, missing a company happy our(open bar!). I completely forgot about updating the blog in a haze of work.

So, at the end of (almost) two weeks, the results are mixed. Through nineteen days, I was successful fifteen times. Not bad, but not my goal. Perhaps I was aiming too high.

With that in mind, I have a new goal, of going five straight days next week. A step down from four consecutive weeks, but considering the last two weeks I went four then three days, that's where I'm at right now. If I'm successful next week, I'll try for another.

No new gym bag yet.

Day Sixteen - Whoops

I got up, brushed my teeth, grabbed my lunch, my bag, and I was out the door. No major train problems(for once), so I rolled into the gym on time. Scan my gym card, up the stairs, set my backpack down, open the locker, get my stuff out and...I forgot to pack gym shorts.

Actually, checking my bag earlier that morning I mistook a blue shirt for my blue shorts. Blue is blue is blue, especially when you are in a hurry. I bought shorts from the gym, because after finally having a(relatively) pain-free path to the gym in the morning, I was sure as shit¹ gonna work out.

Once I finally got on the treadmill, workout was fine. I still need to add some new cardio songs, though. I used to use Nike+ to track my runs, but the sensor died and I never bothered to replace it. Maybe tracking runs again would motivate me to do a little more cardio. Lord knows, with summer coming, running more won't hurt.

¹Shit being very high on a scale of sureness, obviously.

Day Thirteen - Crazy

I had pool last night, so I was out late; my match start time was nine. I finished fast(7-3 victory!), but stuck around for a few beers with my teammates. The plan was to go to my girlfriend's place afterwards. It was a good plan, except that I left my gym bag at my apartment when I left for the pool hall.

I didn't want to go back to Brooklyn, then come back all the way into the city. So, I convinced myself - after a couple¹ beers - that I would go over to my girlfriend's place as planned, and get up earlier than usual the next morning so I could trek back to my apartment, get my stuff, and from there get to the gym. All before work.

Yeah, that didn't happen. I got up at seven-thirty, not seven. My original plan had no chance in hell of working(it was a precarious idea even I had gotten up at seven). So, walking to the six train(the dreaded, dreaded six train...) I decided I would just go to work, getting there really early, and I would count this as kind of a half-day; half-doing what I was supposed to do. Not a total failure. 

Then I remembered my running shoes are almost five years old. I've been meaning to get new ones.

So, at 8:15 in the morning, I was wandering the Modell's in Times Square - carrying my pool cue from the night before - shoe shopping. I got some mid-priced Nike running shoes, and some discounted gym wear(shirt, shorts, and socks). 

Now, I'm at my desk, a large plastic Modell's bag next to my desk. Inside it: my new, now sweaty gym clothes, and my old shoes(I'm wearing the running shoes, under the pretense of "breaking them in" but really because they are more comfortable then the shoes I was wearing).

Streak alive at lucky thirteen.

¹The term "couple" can be explained by the following: 2 =< (true number of beers) < 10.

Day Six - More Rain

Well it's back to gloomy weather. It's wet, cold and gray outside. My morning run went fine, though I can tell I've been neglecting my cardio. I do interval training on the treadmill, running for two minutes then sprinting for one, and I've had to reduce my sprinting speed a bit.

The sleep cycle app worked great last night. Set up was easy: I just put it on the corner of my bed, under the sheet. After testing it to make sure it could tell when I was moving, I set the alarm, and fell asleep. It woke up me up 13 minutes before my alarm time(it will wake you up during your lightest sleep phase during a half-hour window before your alarm time), and I was more refreshed than I have been just waking up at the same time every weekday. The app also keeps stats and graphs, which I'll be sure to share at the end of this experiment.

That said, I wasn't exactly bright-eyed and ready to go. I keep staying up late, even though I'm tired. Whether from being out or just chilling at home, I can't remember the last time I fell asleep before one in the morning. Granted, because of this new wake up time I'm falling asleep much, much faster. I'd say within five minutes of turning off the light, I'm out like one.

Taking advantage of doing my workout in the morning, today I'm going to have lunch with my girlfriend - something I couldn't do when I was waking up late and going to the gym during my lunch hour. Yesterday I read and wrote some during my lunch hour. Plus, I'm getting more done during the day at work(I think, I never really measure my productivity level at the office but I feel more efficient).

Day Two - Running

Today, I actually dressed appropriately. My North Face coat on, hoodie underneath, I ventured out into the cold this morning.

I was running a little late because today, in an effort to save money, I packed my lunch: two chicken sandwiches. Monday night I fixed chicken-strips, the leftovers are now between slices of wheat bread. I feel economized.

The last few weeks, I've done a lot more lifting than cardio. In fact, last month I did hardly any running, and all lifting. I expected a little weight gain, but at first, the scale always read (about) the same every morning. Recently, though, winter comfort food and less cooking have added to my natural insulation. Which is fine, I don't want to look like a male model(rather, I would but I like eating more), but I'd still like to get back to running - being in good cardiovascular health has other benefits, especially once the weather gets warmer and it's time for sports.

So I got on the treadmill and did twenty minutes of interval training, listening to the following:

"All Summer Long", Kid Rock
"Worlds Collide", Powerman 5000
"The Wicker Man", Iron Maiden
"What You Waiting For?", Gwen Stefani
"Mama Said Knock You Out," LL Cool J

I have a random cardio play list in iTunes, and I have a good variety of tunes(I think) that it picks from - but I haven't updated it in years. These same songs(with the addition, last year, of "Poker Face" and "Let's Dance") have powered my running for the past three or four years.

Any suggestions? What gets you guys pumped?