425: December 31: more airbase miles

Running: 8 miles. Another 8 miler at Randolph Air Force Base this morning. A tough run, due to a howling wind that swept right across the flight line and seemed almost to knock me over at times. I did have the rare pleasure of company, however, an older runner named Curtis who was also running 8 miles while training for his first ultra this coming March.

428-426: December 28-30: running in Texas

Flat, chilly and wet at Randolph Air Force Base this week.

Running: 26 miles (Tuesday through Thursday). Blogging is very difficult this week, given my parents' lack of Internet access. I am able to occasionally make my way to a local Border's here in San Antonio and catch up, but it isn't easy.

I've stuck right with my plan so far here in Texas: 8 miles Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 miles Thursday (this morning). I'm running as usual at Randolph Air Force base, which has been a bit of a challenge due to some unusually wet weather, and construction projects at both ends of the route. Still, I've done some solid mileage on what is actually quite a good running route.

Weekly Plan, December 27-January 2

Running: I'm off to a bit of a rocky start with my R.I.P. training, at least these past couple of weeks. But I think I should expect such things. This is a very long term training project, after all, and there will be occasional dips. But this coming week--week four of my training plan--I think I'll be able to get back where I should be. We'll be in San Antonio, with a fair amount of down time (because of the holidays, and my parents' lack of Internet access) as well as perfect (i.e., non-hot) weather. I'll have to adjust my running schedule to my parents' schedule, of course, but mom is a runner, too, so that shouldn't be too tough.

My plan for the week:

Mon.: off (travel day)
Tues.: 8 miles
Wed.: 8 miles
Thurs.: 10 miles
Fri.: 8 miles
Sat.: 14 miles
Sun.: 8 miles

Total: 56 miles, 14 distance


As for everything else--nutrition, cross-training, and kendo--these things will have to be put on hold until after my Texas sojourn is over.

432-429: December 24-27: busy holidays

Nathan and Rachel grooving on the moving sidewalk at the airport.

Running. 12 miles. I managed a couple of short 6 mile treadmill runs during Xmas eve and Xmas day. Felt lucky to even do that much, given the time of year. /Nothing at all on Sunday or Monday, which were travel ays, as my kids and I flew to visit mom and dad in San Antonio, Texas. Made for another down week--only 44 miles--but hopefully I can get things back on track, at least running-wise, while in Texas.

433: December 23: a bit more outdoor running

Another wintry running day.

Running: 8 miles. Another very cold, wintry day, but good enough for another outdoor run around Little Dog.

Nutrition: open week. I think I'm going to have to get realistic here; no way I'll be able to maintain a calorie-counting plan during the Holiday season. This isn't just a matter of temptation; it's also a matter of trying not to hurt family members' feelings, or simply having no idea what the calorie count might be in this or that holiday dish. I don't want the wheels to come completely off, but I think I'll just need to ficus on staying where I'm at now, weight-wise, until after I return from San Antonio on January 3.

434: December 22: rare day on campus

Running: 8 miles. The Holidays will make campus visits rare, and this along with the reduced hours means I won't be doing much running in the Wellness Center for the next couple of weeks. But I was able to take advantage of being on campus today to do a nice run on the track.

Nutrition: free week.

435: December 21: Yuletide

The Circle was lit up and beautiful in downtown Indy.

Running: 8 miles. Had to squeeze in some treadmill time at the Y today (while my stepson got in some basketball), because we have a very busy evening, attending the annual Yuletide concert with the Indianapolis Symphony. Great family tradfition.

Cross: truncated workout here, just two weight machines. The Y's leg press is still broken, and their crunch machine was occupied.

Nutrition: open week. My weight seems to be holding steady here. We ate at P.F. Chang's this evening, and I tried to stay healthy. Ate the whole meal with chopsticks, which technically might qualify as kendo training, I suppose :-).

436: December 20: getting outdoors a bit

Running: 8 miles. The snow, ice, and frigid temps have made outdoor running a real challenge, lately, but I'm trying. I bundled up in my winter gear today and picked my way around the ice and snow in my neighborhood to get in a decent run. Also tried out my new ipod, one of those new generation, size-of-a-postage-stamp types.

Nutrition: open week this week.

Kendo: confirmed today that there will be no kendo classwork; Hiro isn't teaching his class at the Y, and I can't make Mudokwan's only class tomorrow night because of a family activity.

Weekly Plan, December 20-26

Running: Week Three of the Running Indiana Project training plan, which I projected as a relatively light week because of the holidays. Still, I get some decent mileage, and my scheduling after Tuesday will perhaps be a bit easier--weather issues notwithstanding--once grading is finished Tuesday.

I should also get some chores done on RIP's financial and publicity end. I need to get the application for tax exemption filled out, and I'd like to get some sort of Facebook and blog page up and running. I'd also like to finally get my workout plan on this blog; it's so big and complex that I've not been able to figure out a way to do that, yet.

Where my actual training is concerned, I'm thinking largely in terms of 8 mile runs, which have become my base run distance, and seems to fit well with my schedule. My plan for the week:

Mon.: 8 miles, base
Tues.: 8 miles, base/cross
Wed.: 8 miles, base
Thur.: 8 miles, base/cross
Fri.; 6 miles, light (Xmas eve)
Sat.: 6 miles, light (Xmas day)
Sun.: 8  miles, base

Total: 50 miles

Nutrition: I'm going to be forced to pretty much do an open week here; no way I can keep a strict calorie count. I'll try to avoid excess, of course, and keep my weight around 173. Kind of a holding pattern here until we get past Christmas...

Cross:...and the same here. I'll only be able to do two cross-training sessions because of the holidays.

Kendo: no kendo classes this week, because of Xmas.

Week Two Assessment, December 13-19

Running: 50 miles (missed goal by 6 miles). Week two of my RIP training was rocky. I went into the weekend in pretty good shape, but things kind of came unglued Saturday and Sunday. Still, I kept my mileage respectable, and did a halfway decent distance run. Should be able to get back on track for Week Three.

Cross: again, a bit rocky. only two weight/crunch sessions, instead of my planned three. But I did get in some good weight and abs workouts, and I suppose one could argue that my kendo exertions on Saturday were cross-training, of a sort. Again, should be able to get back in gear next week.

Nutrition: 173 lbs. Right on track here, Sunday's bust day aside. I wanted to lose about a pound a week on my Phase One nutrition plan, and that's pretty much what I've done so far.

Kendo: I've not been feeling good about my kendo for several months now, and looking for a way--without much success--to re-energize my sense of purpose and commitment. My experience at the Johnson Cup rather unexpectedly gave me what I needed: disappointment. Sure, I took a couple of baby steps forward--I didn't bull-rushed out of matches the way I did last year, I fought to a draw a couple of times, and I hung in there with a 5th dan--but I tend to expect more from myself. I actually feel a renewed sense of determination to move my kendo forward.

Unfortunately, Christmas week isn't the time to act on this impulse. Mudokwan only has one class on Tuesday, which I'll not be able to attend because of a family Xmas obligation (we're attending the Yuletide celebration in Indianapolis). I may be able to attend Hiro's YMCA class--but I'm not sure.

437: December 19: bust day

Running. 5 miles. My first bust day on my Expedition training program. I planned to do 10 miles, but was only able to do half that on the basement treadmill before family Xmas matters intervened.

Nutrition: 1950 cal. (2000 cal. goal).

438: December 18: Johnson Cup

The Mudokwan contingent at the Johnson Cup

Running: off day, of course. Spent the entire day driving to, participating in, and then driving back from the Johnson Cup in Cincy.

Nutrition: pretty much an open day here.

Kendo: my third Johnson Cup tournament, this time on the University of Cincinnati's campus. It was also my son Nathan's first kendo tournament, and we had good representation from our dojo--five members competed--and we were told this was the largest Johnson Cup tournament so far, so things were good all the way around.

I always have pretty modest goals for these things. I just try to do better than I did in the tournament the previous year. This is my third Johnson Cup. The first time, I was dispatched pretty easily in a couple of quick bouts. The second time, I lost largely because I allowed myself to get bull-rushed out of the court, costing me two different matches. This time, I just wanted to avoid that fate, and maybe score a couple of solid points.

As it was, I fought four matches altogether, three singles and a team bout. I lost my first match pretty quickly, getting nailed with a couple of kote by the guy who would eventually win the mudansha division. No shame there, I suppose. My next two matches I fought to a draw (one of which was against Andrew, my dojo-mate). In the team competition, I held up pretty well I think against a 5th dan, but eventually lost. No shame there, either; I knew my opponent, Huber-sensei from Kentucky--a formidable kenshi. At least I didn't embarrass myself.

So, I'd say that, on the whole, I did what I wished to do: a little bit better than last year. Not bad, all things considered. And I enjoyed myself. Still, I have now competed in three Johnson Cup tournaments without winning a match. I find that disconcerting.

439: December 17: pretty long run

Running: 12 miles. Today was distance day, which I was again forced to run indoors. I chose the Wellness Center, and did pretty well, too--until I ran out of time. Student emergencies of various sorts called, so I had to cut the run a couple miles short of my 14 mile goal for the week. Bummer.

Nutrition: 2500 cal. (2700 cal. goal). Good day here.

440: December 16: back at the Y

Running: 8 miles. Nothing but indoor running this week because of the awful weather. At least I have a few indoor options: the Wellness Center at AU, the YMCA's treadmills, or my own basement treadmill. Today I took the YMCA route; after a busy morning of grading, I headed to the Y and did a couple of 4 mile repeats on their treadmills.

Nutrition: 2290 cal. (2300 cal. goal). Kind of pushed it to the edge, today. Still feel pretty good about how things are going here.

Cross: did two of my three lower body weight machines (the leg press was out of service) and abs crunches.

441: December 15: split run

Rachel helped me cook this evening.

Running: 10 miles. I had to split my run today, because of exam scheduling. I ran 5 miles in the Wellness Center, gave my students their final exam, and then did 5 more miles in the WC.

Nutrition: 2460 (2500 cal goal). Keeping the calories more-or-less under control, but finding Xmas sweets very tempting.

442: December 14: a good kendo class

Running: 8 miles. More indoor running, as the weather gets worse (if that's possible). I was at home grading today, so I did my running at the Y--two 4 milers on the treadmills.

Nutrition: 2395 cal. (2300 cal. goal). A bit over today.

Cross: my usual weightlifting sets, and crunches.

Kendo: finally made it to Mudokwan this evening, which turned out to be quite a large class: most of our usual kenshi were present, along with one dan-ranked kenshi whom I did not know, and a visit from Sugawara-sensei, which was nice. The dojo did get a bit crowded, but I don't think anybody minded it much.

443: December 13: snow days

Winter wonderland on campus

Running: 8 miles. lots of indoor running in my future, it seems: we're in the middle of an arctic blast that earned my kids a snow day, and pushed my running indoors. Today I was able to do a run on Wellness Center track; beats a treadmill, I suppose.

Nutrition: 2190 cal. (2300 cal. goal).

Weekly Plan, December 13-19

Running: week two, after a very solid week one. My running schedule is a bit easier than usual, because we've finished classes at my university. I still have finals, and tons and tons of grading--but at least my daily schedule is just a bit more flexible (though I'll still need to work around my exam schedule, as well as the Steve Johnson Cup this Saturday).

Following my training plan, my week should look like this:

Mon.: 8 miles, base
Tues.: 8 miles base/cross
Wed.: 8 miles, base (split run)
Thur.: 6 miles/cross
Fri.: 14 miles, distance
Sat.: 6 miles, recovery
Sun.: 6 miles/cross

Total: 56 miles

Nutrition: keep doing what I did last week: count calories, with a 500 calorie deficit.

Cross: weights and crunches, like last week; I plan to add some sort of weight routine that works my calves--always a bit of a problem area.

Kendo: gotta get back in the groove, here. I think I can make both Mudokwan classes, and of course I have all-day kendo Saturday in Cincy with the Steve Johnson Cup.

Week One Assessment*, December 6-12

*I'm bringing back my end-of-week assessments for the duration of my Expedition training program, the better to keep track of where I'm at and where I'm going.

Running: 54 miles, 12 distance. Firing on all cylinders here. Made my goals for the first week, and feeling pretty good about things so far.

Nutrition: 175 lbs. I weighed every day as a baseline, averaging each day at the end of the week. I'm currently about five pounds over my maximum, and about ten pounds over my ideal weight. So, I have work to do here. and this week was a good start, counting calories and aiming for a 500 calorie per day deficit. I made a good start here...

Cross:...and here. Did weights and core training three times this week. I'll start things slow, maybe add a new weight or core workout each week until I'm satisfied.

Kendo: total bust of a week. My kendo is frankly at a low ebb right now, and I'm not altogether sure why. I do have the Steve Johnson Cup coming up next weekende, and I'm hoping that will re-energize my kendo.

444: December 12: getting in my miles

Drove in some nasty weather today.

Running: 8 miles. today was a challenge, since I had to run indoors on what was a bitterly cold day. The Y doesn't open until 11:00am on Sundays, and the place was packed (nobody else likes to exercise outdoors in this sort of weather, either). I had a very hard time getting a treadmill, and pretty much felt I had to strictly adhere to their 30 minute time limit, given the crowds (others weren't as conscientious; guy next to me hung on to his machine for over an hour, rules be damned). That, and the usual time crunch I operate under allowed only 6 miles in the Y. I did manage 2 more miles on my basement treadmill later in the evening, so I did get my mileage for the week.

Nutrition: 2290 cal. (2300 cal. goal)

Cross: did my three lower body weights, and crunches on the crunch machine at the Y.

445: December 11: late night on the treadmill

Running: 8 miles. The usual suspects--weather, family mattters, etc.--conspired to try to wipe out my run today, but I held firm and managed to do my miles--late at night, on the basement treadmill, but I got them done, nonetheless. I think The Expedition helps here: gives me a determination not to get buried under the usual avalanche of distractions and problems I always encounter in my running life.

Nutrition: 1940 cal. (2300 cal. goal).

446: December 10: working around the weather again

Snowy and cold in central Indiana these days

Running: 8 miles. More awful weather, and a busy teaching day to boot, so I arranged to get my run finished very early in the morning at the wellness Center.

Nutrition: 2285 cal. (2300 cal. goal).

Kendo: missed kendo again; another lost week.

447: December 9: piecing together a long run

Running: 12 miles. My long run day, but the weather...geez. blowing cold rain, mixed with sleet and snow. Lots of fun. so I did my distance running at the Fishers Y. This is no easy thing: the Y's thirty minute time limit on their treamills keeps me shifting from machine to machiine. Still, I got it done, with 3 sessions of 4 miles each on 3 treadmills.

Nutrition: 2190 cal. (2700 cal. goal). Did pretty well here today.

448: December 8: short run

Watched my stepson get a lot of exercise tonight.

Running: 4 miles. Only a brief treadmill run tonight in at the Y. Would like to have run further, but family obligations called--specifically, my stepson's basketball game.

Nutrition: 1770 cal. (2000 goal, floor). better today, once I cut out the late evening snacks.

Cross: lifted weights at the Y, focusing again on lower body and core. Used their excellent core machine to do some good (and very difficult) crunches.

449: December 7: catching up, and more kendo woes

Running: 8 miles. Did a solid run on the Wellness Center track this morning. I had thought I'd do my stairs workout, but yesterday's weight session left me a bit sore, so I just did a regular, flat run instead. As cold as it is outside (6 degrees this morning when I awoke), I'm very grateful for that track.

Nutrition: 2340 cal. (2300 goal). Again, a bit over, and again a late night munch-fest was the culprit. I think I'm going to resurrect an old rule from my weight-loss days: no eating after 9:00pm.

Kendo: no kendo at Mudokwan tonight. I am so far behind in my grading and writing due to my recent computer meltdown that I had to stay home tonight and work. Still, I should be able to make Friday's class. as long as I can do at least one class a week, I'll be okay.

Day 450: December 6: getting started

Running: 6 miles. This is supposed to be my off day, but I managed to squeeze in a few miles here and there: 3 miles in the WC this morning, and 3 more on the Deveaux's treadmill during my daughter's gymnastics class this evening. I think this will need to become my training mentality: get all the miles in when I can.

Nutrition: 2180 cal. (2100 goal). Back on the wagon, so to speak. I'm counting calories diligently, and cutting out my sweet tooth bugaboos (chocolate, rice crispies, and especially holiday candy). Went a bit over my goal with a late night snack, but on the whole a very good day.

Cross: got a good start on cross-training this morning. Some basic lower body weights: lifts, curls and press, at a faily modest weight with good reps (3 sets, 12-16 each). I also started working the core, in a modest way: 60 crunches, 20 straight-up, and 20 bicycle crunches for each side.

The Run Indiana Project

Run Indiana Project

My big running expedition: I plan to run across the state of Indiana--the long way, from Evansville to South Bend--over a space of 9 days, in March 2013 (spring break at my university). This will be a charity event, raising money for Project 18, the childhood obesity prevention program at the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital here in Indianapolis. I've dubbed this the Run Indiana Project, and I'm currently working on the (quite laborious) process of creating a non-profit organization to solicit donations and sponsorships (to be honest, this part of the project is proving more complicated than the actual running).

I hope this will be a team event. I'm currently trying to recruit runners from my university to join me, and I'd like to have a small, focused group of runners--five or six at most--working together. So far I only have a couple of friends expressing mild interest, so I may end up doing this alone.

I don't mind that; this is a project that has become quite important to me, on a variety of levels. Having spent most of my life obese, I'd like to contribute something to help others avoid the same problem--particularly children. And on a purely personal level, I like the idea of doing something that, as far as I know, has never been done before. Other runners have run further, of course (these guys, for example, who were one inspiration for my project), but I don't believe anyone has run this far across Indiana.

I have had a lot of help getting this project off the ground. I have a very good friend in AU's business department (and a fellow runner) who has given me lots of good advice, and may end up joining me (along with his son) on the run itself. Two professors in the athletic department helped me design the training program, and I've benefited from Ray Zahab's very friendly advice, as well.

As for the training program...it's a big one. I've created a fifteen month plan, set out in three stages, and modeled generally after training programs I've consulted for marathon and ultra-marathon training. I'm also reworking my cross training and nutrition plans, all with an eye towards this one goal: to run 300 miles.

.

Weekly plan, December 6-12

Running: And so it begins...this is week one of a fifteen month, 450 day training plan that will culminate in The Expedition, set to start on March 9, 2012 (and which I'll finally explain in my Monday Musings for this week). The goal is ambitious--a very long ultra-run--so my training plan must be, as well. Still, I'm starting things gradually; I have the luxury of doing this, with a fifteen month window.

I couldn't begin at a better time, either. My weight is up, I feel sluggish, and I've been fighting to stay motivated and ficused--perfect time to kick off a brand new, serious running project.

Week One will look a bit like this:

Mon.: off day/cross
Tues.: 7 miles, hills
Wed.: 8 miles, base/cross
Thur.: 12 miles, distance
Fri.: 8 miles, recovery
Sat.: 10 miles, base/cross
Sun.: 9 miles, base

Total: 54 miles, 12 distance

Cross: gotta get serious here, too. The advice I've received by way of training for The Expedition is not to get too caught up in my cross-training: running good miles will be the important thing. Still, I need some sort of decent cross program, particularly for Phase One (I've divided my 15 month program into three distinct phases), which will involve cross training that will begin to gradually taper as I increase my running mileage in Phases Two and Three.

I need to focus on three areas of my cross training: strength training (weights and resistance), core strength, and some light cross-cardio. To that end, this week I'll start with a few weights, some crunches to get my core program off the ground, and a bit of light walking, as circumstances permit.

Nutrition: man, I really need to get going here; I'm not eating well, and the Holidays have of course just made things that much wose. I'm at the heaviest I've been in a long time (low to mid 170s on any given day), and I've completely fallen out of the habit of monitoring too closely what I'm eating, when or how much.

The nice thing about The Expedition is that it'll scare me straight here: I cannot afford to undertake a project of this magnitude without paying very close attention to my nutrition. I've also decided to stop mucking around with this or that idea, and use a solid nutrition program that's I've had sitting on my shelf for a long time: Chris Carmichael's Food For Fitness. It fits well with what I'm doing, and best of all gives me a detailed blueprint so I don't have to think too much.

Trouble is, Carmichael's periodization plan doesn't quite fit with my 15 month training plan. His approach has four periods, but I really need five. So, I've added my own extra period, so to speak, beginning now and lasting for the next several months (after which I'll stick to the Carmichael periodization pretty closely).

Kendo: I'm going to need to be realistic here; with the end-of-semester crunch coming on, my spare time is very sparse. The best I think I can do here is just make sure I make at least one kendo class per week until the new year, when some of my professional obligations will begin to lighten up just a bit and I can devote more energy and focus to other things.

December 2-5: total computer meltdown

My laptop went completel;y south on me this week, putting the kibosh on my blogging, at least temporarily. I did get in some solid running from Thursday through Sunday, setting a good foundation for the start of my Expedition training on December 6. I also did some solid kendo, so all in all it was a good week--except for my @#!$ computer.

Should have things reasonably back up and running by the 6th.

December 1: light run

Running: 5 miles. I only managed a very brief evening run on the basement treadmill this evening, after a very long and tiring day of both teaching and writing (I have a manuscript due to my publisher very soon). This reinforces the fact that I must complete my writing projects sooner rather than later, the better to train well for The Expedition.

Nutrition: got in a good bit of research here this evening (I had to get my mind out of my book project for a while, and this was as good a method as any).

Kendo: nothing here.

November 30: back in the Wellness Center

Running: 7 miles. A decent run on the Wellness Center track this morning. The weather is turning nasty this week--flurries, and talk of substantial snow for the weekend--so I am very likely doomed to run a great deal indoors.

Kendo: a gratifyingly larger class this evening than has been the case for the past few weeks: eleven kenshi, including Matt and Wendy from Fort Wayne, whom we hadn't seen for a while. I think Hiro's shoulder must be healing, as well, for he got into bogu with us.

Several of us are planning to compete in the Johnson Cup tournament on December 19th, including Andrew, Nicolai, Nathan and myself (and perhaps Steve), so we wanted to get as much bogu time as possible. Hiro obliged with a good deal of jigeiko and some hidari-keiko: exhausting, but good practice prior to a tournament.

I felt pretty good overall about my kendo this evening. I kept my mind focused just on relaxing the shoulders, keeping proper posture and striking with my core and legs, rather than my arms. It seemed to work, and I had good jigeiko with Wendy and Andrew.

Monday Musings for November 29: troubleshooting my kendo III

So what, then would be a good, broad goal for my kendo: something fairly big and ambitious that I can use to set my sights to the future, and find motivation to train hard and consistently for the foreseeable future, short and long-term--a kendo version of The Expedition?

I've been mulling this long and hard for a week; to the point that I'm actually writing this "Monday Musings" on Thursday, and have allowed my blogging to lapse.