I continued with my self-asskickings throughout the holidays, and happily survived without any weight gain, or even any food hangovers. This week is broken up a bit as I get myself ready to begin Firefighter Academy in just over 48 hours. I am nervous, excited, and more than a little terrified of this new venture. Shit's about to get real.
My running is increasing bit by bit as I try to push myself harder every time. Last night was an exception. I worked hard all day trying to finally get my garage cleaned (i.e. finally finish unpacking everything from my move a year ago) so that I can set up a CrossFit style workout area, and when I finally hit the treadmill it was 8pm and I was tired. I opted for an hour long, strenuous leg workout instead of running any great distance. But December 30th I inflicted a serious self-asskicking: walked 1/2 mile, ran 2-1/2 miles, walked 1 mile; then brutal, muscle quiveringly awesome leg workout that had me flirting with nausea; finally 30 minutes of brutal ab work. It was my "normal" leg and ab routine with extra miles added. I was kind of making up for having to do an abbreviated workout the day before, as I was preparing for a houseful of company.
New Year's Eve I started the day with a grand swim. I swam the first mile mostly crawl, but I added breast stroke and back stroke to work additional muscles. I also did several laps of drills like sculling and closed-fist swimming. Then I did a solid 20 minutes with the belt "cycling" hard in the water. The second mile I swam at a solid, distance race pace swim. I kept my strokes strong and long, focused on good form, and kept my stroke speed going at a good clip. The last five laps I pushed myself harder, for a strong finish. I was feeling the burn across my shoulders, and it felt great. I finished with another 20 minutes "cycling" with the belt.
I look back at what I have accomplished in just under one year. Last New Year's I was at about the heaviest and unhappiest that I had been in over a decade. I stopped weighing myself after 230, and was a snug size 16 (leaning towards size 18). I am now staying steady at 162 to 165 and am comfortable in my size 10 Levi's. I was relatively healthy even at my heaviest, I worked out hard and walked my dogs daily, ate reasonably healthy, and was told I looked great. Now I still workout hard daily, but am running, swimming, cycling, strength training, and pushing myself further and faster all the time, and "hard" is a whole new level. I eat wholesome, healthy foods, very little refined sugar or simple carbs, lean proteins, and no candy or junk food. Now I say I look great. I can see the muscle definition in my arms and legs, my stomach is flat, and my ass is fabulous. But the most important accomplishments have been my races. I entered 13 races/competitons/events in 6 months: 3 Sprint Triathlons, a Firefighter Stairclimb, a 6 mile Obstacle Course Race, 4 trail runs of 5 or more miles each, 3 5ks and a 10k. I've logged countless miles in the pool, on the road, and on the treadmill. And will continue to log miles, lift weights, and push myself harder and harder.
I look ahead to what 2013 holds in store. I have my list of Trail Runs printed out and highlighted, with my first race in May. I am eyeing a half-Ironman at the end of June, and the only reason I haven't registered yet is I have to save up my pennies for the entry fee. I plan on doing Olympic distance Triathlons this year as time and money allow. I will do the Portland Triathlon as a sprint, because it is the same day as the Firefighter Stairclimb, and once again I plan on doing both in one day, but this time I will kick ass in both. Also on the agenda is becoming SCUBA certified, with the hope of diving in at least one foreign country this year.
With Firefighter Academy about to take up much of what little spare time I have, I am going to have to be a bit creative with my workouts for the next 4 months. I will run before work a few days a week, continue strength training as often as possible, and hit the pool twice a week. it will be brutal, but it is only for a few months. And as they say, "I can rest when I'm dead."
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