Tag: ypowr

HMT: Days 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 “What the Bikram!!”

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HMT: Days 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17

HMT: Days 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17

Day 13 – 50 min cross

This day, I decided to do a few things. I started with 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I wanted to stay on for 30 minutes, but it was just too boring and my glutes weren’t enjoying the ride. After that good 20 minute warm-up I did 15 minutes of jump rope. After this, I finished up with 15 minutes of shadow boxing with 5 lb weights. I would say that this day was a pretty light day. I definitely did not want to push it too hard because I had a 7-mile run the following day.

Day 14 – 7 mile run

AT&T Park: Home of the San Francisco Giants

AT&T Park: Home of the San Francisco Giants

AT&T Park to the San Francisco Maritime Museum and back to AT&T Park

AT&T Park to the SF Maritime Museum and back

Day 14 was a pretty awesome day. First of all it was Easter Sunday and I just felt good when I woke up. I started my run early because I had 12:00 Mass. I got to the city, found parking right in front of AT&T Park, and started my run around 9:30am. This was my first outdoor run where I listened to music and my goodness did it make a difference. I love music, but I never really wanted to listen to any when running outdoors; before this day, I always wanted to hear “nature” when I ran outside. The music actually helped me during my run, especially the last part of my run. And I shouldn’t say I listened to “music” because in actuality I had one song on repeat: Tygas “I’m Faded” Listening to this song on repeat helped me zone out a little easier because I liked the song and didn’t have to fidget with my iPod to change the track. At about mile 5 or 6 I began to get a bit tired, but I kept up with the rhythm of the song and it prevented me from slowing down too much. I finished the 7.12 mile run in 1:03:22 and I felt really good after. It was a beautiful day in the city and the running conditions were just perfect for me. During my run, I saw a few runners who had just completed the US Half Marathon and it motivated me to keep running; I can’t wait for my first Half on May 5th!

Day 15 – Stretch and Strengthen

Stretch & strengthen?!?! HAH! I didn’t bother to do anything but sit on the couch and watch these beautiful little girls all day. Sometimes I need to remind myself WHY I run and these 2 girls are 2 big reasons why. I want to be healthy for them and I want to be a healthy father when it’s time for me to have children of my own. I love these girls!

My precious nieces: Caeli Rosel (2) and Chloe Jordyn (5 months)

My precious nieces: Caeli Rosel (2) and Chloe Jordyn (3 months)

Day 16 – 4.5 mile run

Lake Merced on a rainy day

Lake Merced on a rainy day

This is what I posted on my Facebook  account when I checked-in to Lake Merced:

“It’s going to be a grind: rain, sweat belt, beanie, gloves, sweater, 4.5 miles. Get some!“

I’m glad that I ran despite the rain and wind because I know that race day conditions won’t always be favorable. I focused on attacking the hills, letting my legs “go” during the downhill parts and pushing through the wind as opposed to allowing it to slow me down. It was a great/challenging run and it made me a better runner.

Day 17 – 3 mile run or cross

I don’t know if it was because I skipped my workout on Monday, but I felt pretty damn good today! Not only did I do a 3 mile run, not only did I do some strengthening exercises, but I also went to my first Bikram Hot Yoga class this morning! Ok, for all of you who have been to a bikram hot yoga class before or for those of you who go on a daily basis, let me say this: YOU GUYS ARE FREAKIN’ NUTS!!!! OMG, that had to be the craziest 90 minutes of my life!! No joke, I was in the “Savasana” pose for the last 45 minutes of the the class (for those of you who aren’t familiar with yoga, the “Savasana” pose is better known as the “Corpse” pose where you just lie on your back like a corpse and just breathe). The first 20 minutes of the class I was an All-Star though, attempting each exercise, not wiping my face with my towel, not even touching my bottle of water, etc., then the downward spiral began. My heart was racing, my vision was getting blurry, I was disoriented, every breath burned and I felt like there was absolutely no way I was NOT going to pass out at some point during this class. I looked over to my girlfriend 30 minutes into the class to see how she was doing and it seemed like she had been in Savasana for a good 10 minutes already, so I joined her LOL. Even in this corpse pose I felt like I was going to pass out; it felt like there was no escaping this, everything I did just made me more hot and miserable. It was such a crazy experience, but I’m glad that I did it. After the class I felt rejuvenated and refreshed; I felt gooooood. And I’m so very proud of my girlfriend for staying in there for the whole 90 minutes, she’s such a trooper. Oh, and we’re going tomorrow morning again! But we’re not going to try and be All-Stars like we did today, we’re going to take our time, take more breaks, and put lots of ice in our water bottles.

Well that was my last 5 days of HMT, only 23 more days til my first Half! I’m so excited! I hope all have a great rest of the week, Cheers!

HMT: Days 9, 10, 11 AND 12

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HMT: Days 9, 10, 11 & 12

HMT: Days 9, 10, 11 & 12

Day 9 was a 4.5 mile run and I did this at Lake Merced with my bro Gordon. It was a rough run, but I managed. It was the first run that I felt weak because of my “diet.” That morning, all I had was a peanut butter sandwich. For me, this wasn’t enough and I knew it, but I was running a little late and did’t have time to prepare something better. The good thing is, now I know I can’t just have a peanut butter sandwich for a 4.5 mile run

Lake Merced

Lake Merced

Day 10 was either a 3 mile run or a “cross training” day; I went with the latter. For this days workout, I requested the help of my good friend CrossFitJasp at #FitCom. CrossFitJasp threw together a pretty tough workout for me that day and it was exactly what I needed. Going back to my 5K a week ago, one thing that I wasn’t too proud about was my lack of “kick” during the last 1/2 mile. I truly believe that this deficiency is 100% mental and that I need to train with a little more intensity every once in a while to get through that mental barrier. Crossfit workouts do exactly that; they help push through times that I am tired and just want to give up. I am positive that this type of training, once a week, will help me with my “kick” at the end of races. Day 10 was a good day.

HMT Day 10

HMT Day 10 (5 Rounds: 3 Burpee Deadlifts @ 185 lbs, 6 ring dips, 9 Push Presses @ 65 lbs, and 20 Double Unders)

Day 11 was a 4.5 mile run + strength day. For the 4.5 mile run, I ran Lake Merced with a few friends and for the strength portion I did a quick circuit that consisted of bench press, bicep curls and lunges. The Lake Merced run was a good run because it was very windy that day. I understand that race days will not always be perfect conditions and that sometimes the “elements” can affect your time. I’m glad that it was as windy as it was because I wanted to see how I would react to such conditions. Surprisingly, I did pretty well. Although the wind was strong as bull, I didn’t allow it to phase me and I felt that I kept pretty good running form throughout. As for the strengthening portion of the workouts, I’m happy that I am easily pushing 45 lb dumbbells with my lunges now; I def. need to strengthen my legs if I want to improve my running.

HMT Day 11

HMT Day 11

Day 12 was….. REST DAY!!! WOOT WOOT!!… Too bad I couldn’t rest all day though. I worked from 8-5 today and ended the day with some All-You-Can-Eat Sushi! In yo face!!! I’ve been going to the same sushi spot (American Sushi House) for quite some time now, but I only found out about their All-You-Can-Eat a few days ago. That place was lucky I had a pretty balanced “diet” today, because if I was starving, I would have put them out of business tonight!

1st roll: American Roll = devoured it! NOM NOM NOM

2nd roll: Bruce Roll = killed it! NOM NOM NOM

3rd roll: Beautiful roll: I couldn’t eat anymore WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP

 

I hope you all had a great week of running and Happy Easter!! Cheers!!

HMT: Days 7 & 8

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HMT: Days 7 & 8

HMT: Days 7 & 8

Day 7 was 5K day! The 5K that I ran was Kaiser Permanentes First Annual Running of the Elk held in Elk Grove, CA. This race had a half marathon, a half marathon relay and the 5K.

Kaiser Permanentes First Annual Running of the Elk

Kaiser Permanentes First Annual Running of the Elk

I think I summed up my first 5K experience best when I Instagram’d a photo of me and my brother immediately after the race:

JR: #2913 (22:47:36; 8th place). Gordon: #1936 (22:43:00; 7th place).... One of the best experiences of my life. I know it's just a 5K (~3 miles), but there was more to it. There was a mental component to it that I didn't really expect. Within the first 5 minutes I was like "wtf did I get myself into?! This a pretty fast pace!! I don't think I could do this"... But then I just kept running... S/o to my brother Gordon for running this with me. This is my first of many races!! Thank you Lord for today and thank you Lord for the opportunity and the ability to participate in this. All of this is yours and I hope you enjoyed this race as much as I did. Happy Palm Sunday everyone!

"JR: #2913 (22:47:36; 8th place). Gordon: #1936 (22:43:00; 7th place).... One of the best experiences of my life. I know it's just a 5K (~3 miles), but there was more to it. There was a mental component to it that I didn't really expect. Within the first 5 minutes I was like "wtf did I get myself into?! This a pretty fast pace!! I don't think I could do this"... But then I just kept running... S/o to my brother Gordon for running this with me. This is my first of many races!! Thank you Lord for today and thank you Lord for the opportunity and the ability to participate in this. All of this is yours and I hope you enjoyed this race as much as I did. Happy Palm Sunday everyone!" - Instagram: iamjohnross

And if you have an Instagram, please follow me at: iamjohnross

Here are a few souvenirs from yesterday. Another thing I didn’t expect after my first official race: loving all the free stuff you get when you complete the race. I could see this becoming a big reason why I run; I’ve always loved collecting stuff. I can’t wait for my first medal!

Souvenirs from the 5K

Souvenirs from the 5K

Day 8 was a “Stretch and Strengthen” Day. So today I spent a good 30 minutes on the foam roller, SMRing my IT, my quads, my ADductors, my calves, and my piriformis. I also did a good amount of static stretches after my strength training. My strength training consisted of 2 back, 2 shoulder, and 2 tricep exercises…… oh yea, and 1,000 bicep curls.

"Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many." - Ron Burgundy

"Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many." - Ron Burgundy

And one last thing: I found out yesterday from my friend at Racing the States that Caballo Blanco was found dead yesterday. I don’t want to say too much other than this: thank you, Caballo, for inspiring me to run, but more importantly thank you for inspiring me to be a better human being. If you’ve never heard of him before, please take some time to read up on his life.

Caballo Blanco

Caballo Blanco

I hope all your weekends were awesome and I hope this week goes well for you all! Work hard! Cheers!

HMT: Days 5 & 6 “Rest is for the awesome!”

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HMT: Days 5 & 6

HMT: Days 5 & 6

 

I’m going to keep this post short because as you can see, its only 10:00pm (PST) which means I have 2 more hours of rest (aka watching the first season of The Walking Dead on Netflix, duhhhh).

 

Yesterday, Day 5, I had work from 6:35am-5:45pm so I didn’t have time to workout anyway. I got off work, bought some Mega Millions Lotto Tickets (what a waste of $30 btw), had some sushi with my lady and then KTFO!

 

Today, Day 6, my crazy muay thai friend woke me up from my 11 hour slumber and told me to wake up so we can go to a boxing class at his gym. So that’s what I did. His school is FTCC in Daly City. The boxing class was awesome! I am currently a member of Polk Street Boxing in San Francisco, so I’ve had some type of experience boxing, but this class was a little different. We had some light contact drills, something that I haven’t really experienced much of at Polk Street (which really isn’t a bad thing). At one point during the class, I was matched up with this one tall white guy who my friend referred to as “Coach.” This guy def. looked like he’s been doing MMA/boxing for a while now, so I was a little worried that he would hit me hard…. and he did. But the thing is, I’m pretty sure he was throwing pretty lightly. I’m not complaining, I’m actually glad he knocked me as hard (or light) as he did. His punches were def. a wake up call for me; and a wake up call is what I needed. I think I may have found a new gym in FTCC, I’m very close to signing up for a membership.

 

FTCC: me (Left), my crazy muay thai friend Jeff (Right)

FTCC: me (Left), my crazy muay thai friend Jeff (Right)

 

So that was my Half Marathon Training Days 5 & 6! I hope you all are having a good weekend! Cheers!

Half Marathon Training: Day 4 “Visualize Continually”

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Half Marathon Training: Day 4

Half Marathon Training: Day 4

Today was a pretty good workout. I got to Crunch around 9:00, sat in the dry sauna for 5 minutes and did some SMR for my IT band and quads. I’ve come to love the ~20 minute foam roller session that I always have before my runs. It gives me some good time to take care of a few other things: think about how my day went, think about & visualize the run I’m about to do, check in on Facebook, look at Instagram photos, catch up on some Tweets, and listen to some good relaxing R&B music.

I read (in a book ;)) that one of the 12 steps to set and achieve any goal (step #11 to be exact) is to visualize your goal continually. And that’s exactly what I am doing when I foam roll before my runs. I visualize myself with good form when I’m running, I visualize myself taking deep, controlled breaths, I think about how I will feel when I get tired and then I think about what I will say in my head to help keep me going. Visualizing my run, before my run, really does help me out.

 

Do you visualize your run before you run? 

 

My 4 mile run was pretty easy, I felt good, I was breathing well, my shoulders were relaxed and I finished the last mile in 7 minutes.

The strength training portion of todays workout almost didn’t happen! And here’s why: After my run, I went to the bathroom and sat on the throne for 10 minutes, and when I came out of the bathroom I headed straight for the exit. When I got to my car I was like “something isn’t right……. did I finish my workout?!?…… crap, I didnt!!” So I went back in the gym and took care of business and I’m glad I did.

 

I did some lunges, some hamstring curls, 2 chest exercises and 1,000 bicep curls,

Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many.

"Oh, I can barely lift my right arm 'cause I did so many." - Ron Burgundy

I’m not going to post the sets and reps and weights I trained with, but I will say that I went pretty hard knowing that the next two days of this training program are rest days, HOLLER!

 

Cheers!

Half Marathon Training: Day 3

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Week 6 - Wednesday: 2 mile run or cross

Week 6 - Wednesday: 2 mile run or cross

So today was either a 2 mile run or a “cross” workout. Here is how Hal Higdon explains a “cross” or “cross train” workout:

It could be swimming, cycling, walking (see below), cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or even some combination that could include strength training if you choose to do it on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of as indicated on the schedule. And feel free to throw in some jogging as well if you’re feeling good. In fact, on Wednesdays I offer you the option to run or cross-train. What cross-training you select depends on your personal preference. But don’t make the mistake of cross-training too vigorously. Sports such as basketball or volleyball that involve sideways motions or sudden stops and starts do not qualify as cross-training. In fact, you may increase your risk of injury if you double up on these sports, particularly as the mileage builds. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week.

Being a typical dude, this is my first time reading what an actual “cross” or “cross-train” workout was. Before writing this post, I didn’t know what a “cross” workout was. For some reason, I chose to accept it to mean a crazy/intense workout. And when I think about crazy and/or insane workouts, I immediately think about CrossFit workouts.

If you’re unaware of what a Crossfit WOD is, or if you just don’t know anything about Crossfit in general, then please check out their website (CrossFit.com) I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard or seen anything CrossFit, they’ve been on the come up for a few years now and have officially blown up with their CrossFit Games coverage on ESPN2 and their partnership with Reebok

So today, my “cross” workout was the Crossfit WOD “Fran.” This workout consists of 3 rounds of the same 2 exercises: 95 lb. Thrusters (65 lb. for the ladies) and Pull-ups.

  • Round 1 = 21 Thrusters and 21 Pull-ups.
  • Round 2 = 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull-ups.
  • Round 3 = 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull-ups.

Here’s a video of Irving Hernandez completing “Fran” in a little under 2 minutes. (I don’t own this video, I don’t know Irving Hernandez, I just took this video from YouTube to share with you all.)

 

 

Ummm yea, that guys is a beast (just like a bunch of other “CrossFit-ers”). I completed “Fran” in 08:31 and I was completely spent after.

"Fran" 03/28/12

"Fran" 03/28/12

 

What I learned from today’s training:

  1. read directions
  2. i should do more CrossFit workouts, I’m thinking once a week

 

So that was “Day 3” of my Half Marathon Training! Cheers!

Training for My First Half Marathon

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Yesterday, I officially started my training for my first Half Marathon (Western Pacific Half Marathon) on May 5th. I know what you’re thinking: YOU’RE ONLY STARTING NOW?!?!

Well, I have been running a lot more these past 2 months. For instance, this month I had weekly goals of running 35 and 42 miles, both of which I reached, and I also completed a 13 mile run earlier this month. So I believe I prepared myself enough to start on “Week 6” of my Hal Higdon Training Program (pictured below). Also, I will replace the “Week 10” workout with the “Week 11” work out so that this program will lead me right up to my May 5th Half Marathon.

 

Hal Higdon's "Half Marathon Training Guide: Novice 1 Program"

Hal Higdon's "Half Marathon Training Guide: Novice 1 Program"

 

As you can see at the end of this 6th week, it says to run a 5K. So last night, I registered for my first official race: Running of the Elk Half Marathon, in Elk Grove, CA. I will be running the “Thrive 5K” portion of this race with my brother Gordon and hopefully a few more of our friends decide to come out and run with us.

 

Running of the Elk Half Marathon in Elk Grove, CA

Running of the Elk Half Marathon in Elk Grove, CA

I like this training program because it is very clear and it gives me something to follow. From what I read, Hal Higdon is an awesome resource for anything and everything about running so I am confident that this program will prepare me well for my first ever Half Marathon on May 5th.

 

Starting today, I will post my progress with this training program everyday up to and including race day, May 5th. Cheers!

My first TRXperience! (see what I just did there?)

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TRX Group Class at Resort Fitness, LLC

TRX Group Class at Resort Fitness, LLC

If you don’t see what I just did there, I don’t like you; just kidding.

I’m writing about my first “real” experience with TRX Suspension Training! I say “real” experience because I’ve worked with the TRX before, but not in a group setting and not instructed by a certified TRX trainer. My good friend Ryan Dantes (I will post his website once it’s up and running) was the instructor for this class and he did a great job.

I wasn’t able to get my routine warm-up (SMR IT Band, SMR calves, SMR quads, 10 minute run, 1,000 bicep curls, and 10 minutes of dancing to “Teach Me How to Dougie”) completed because I arrived 5 minutes before the class started. I want to say it was difficult for me to get up this morning because I stayed up ’til 2am playing COD, but I’m not convinced that was it; it must have been something I ate that day ;). But anyways, back to the class. Within the first 5 minutes, I was like “wtheck did I get myself into?!” And I love when I get that feeling because I know that I’m doing something that I’ve never tried before.

Ryan did a great job putting together todays workout. We hit the upper body, we hit the lower body, we hit the core, we did some kettlebell work, we did it all. His cues and instructions were loud and clear, he was motivating, and the music was good. This was a good first experience with the TRX and now I’m even more excited to get TRX Certified.

Once I get certified, I will be teaching 6am and 7am TRX Group Classes at Ryan’s gym in Daly City.

In conclusion…

Would I recommend TRX training?

Hell yes

Was it a good workout?

Hell yes

On a scale from 1 to 20, where would you rank Manning signing with the Broncos?

1.. he should have came to SF! jk, we’ll be fine with Alex Smith…. I hope, lol

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

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My whole life I’ve made soooo many excuses. I’ve made so many excuses for everything: why I didn’t finish my homework, why I didn’t pass a class the first time around, why I’m so bad at saving money, why I’m not where I want to be physically, why I haven’t gotten into PT School yet, excuses for anything and everything. Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

And when I really, really, REALLY think about all these excuses (especially the ones that I’ve made recently), I can’t help but think how stupid those excuses were. Why do I continue to doubt myself? Why do I continue to hold myself back?

In the book Goals! How to Get Everything You Want — Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible, Brian Tracy talks about the “80/20 Rule.” This rule says:

“in most cases, 80% of the reasons you are not attaining your goals are internal. they are within you rather than in the world around you. only 20% of the obstacles are contained in your external situation or in other people.” 

Well, I want that to end today. No more excuses.

What are some of the excuses that you come up with everyday? Why do we do that to ourselves?

“… and when you get to the point where all you want to do is be successful as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful…” – Eric Thomas