Some Men Just Want to Eat A Jar Of Pickles.....

Randy Travis you get the top spot for the second entry of my Tough Mudder adventure.  Amazon was kind enough over a week ago to put your greatest hits on sale for $2.99 which I downloaded instantly.  Though you frequent my playlist on my rounds of cardio on the bike, I can honestly say I have not/ will not ride my bike naked in honor of your latest mishaps.

Ok so week one (and a day) of hardcore training is in the books and just like I promised in my last blog, it was full of both highs and lows.

Thursday (8/2)

I did my best Forrest Gump impression and bought a new pair of running shoes.  I know that my relatively new Nike Cross Trainers are going to be approaching their demise as those will be the shoes of choice for the event and I'm not wanting to wear them out to much before October.  I invested in some Lance Armstrong's with a coupon I had for Dick's and have to say the one time I ran in them, they were the lightest and most comfortable shoes I can remember.  Oh yeah...you read that right I've only ran in them one time, which was the day I bought them.  I ran after my morning workout on campus and had decided that since I was planning on running in the morning and jiu jitsu/cycling  that night that it would be in my best interest to save my legs somewhat.  Also, during a test run a few weeks back I ran 3 miles in a decent time (for me) but felt the pain of running for the first time in ages for the next several days and again didn't want a repeat of agony starting off training.

Accurate portrayal of my 1+ mile run on campus

With that said, the little bit over a mile I ran in the shoes on campus was going by pretty smoothly....until about the last quarter mile.  I chose unwisely to run close to the construction of the new REC center....during a time they were using paint.  My controlled breathing that I was practicing during the run changed due to the chemicals of the paint into a dry heave.  I tried to truck through it, but alas the chemicals won and for the last .10 of a mile I had to walk while trying to find a suitable balance of fresh air for the lungs.

Training otherwise Thursday went great as that night I had a great session at the Impact Zone for BJJ then followed that up with about a 15 mile bike ride when I got home.  The training was going fine in my 2nd full day until....Thursday night.

Thursday Night

Sometimes my body just gets too out of whack, sync, whatever and I can't sleep.  This night was one of those.  After tossing and turning for an hour I decided to go to Wal-Mart (insert joke) to go ahead and get groceries that I had planned on getting Friday and justifying this by sleeping in an extra two hours Friday morning since I was completing a task that needed to be done.  During this ordeal I stocked up again on what has been essential for staying hydrated, coconut water, along with a jar of Claussen's half-sliced pickles.  Why pickles? I don't know, it was 12:30 at night and they sounded good.  When I returned home over an hour later I just couldn't resist the urge and tore into the jar of pickles and before I knew it the jar was gone and it was almost 3 A.M.  If it is true as Alfred Pennyworth suggested that some men just want to watch the world burn, then it must also be true that some men just want to eat a whole jar of pickles in one sitting.  I am such a man it seems.

Friday/ Saturday

Not going to bed until 3 A.M. does not bode well for the following day's workout.  What had been going strong on unstoppable motivation for 2 days straight, hit a major road bump as I struggled and was sluggish throughout most of the morning that even an afternoon nap couldn't help.  Saturday however, I was "full of vinegar" again and had a great workout focusing on legs.  I know that I have neglected working these muscles out somewhat and in order to complete 12 miles of obstacles I'm going to need them in pretty good shape.  However, as anyone who has made the mistake I have done knows, after a day of working out legs, the next day walking will be a strenuous activity itself. For me the pain from this workout lasted until...well today to be honest.  Though it didn't help the cause that I never let me legs rest for more then 12 hours until last night....which brings me to the last point

Old People/Driving/ Cell Phones

On Tuesday night I decided to leave BJJ an hour early because I wanted to take advantage of the weather and try to get a nice run in (that turned into a walk due to the before mentioned leg pain).  On the way home as I proceed to go from a red-green light, my poor Silverado was struck from the back.  Though the impact of speed was low and I already knew no damage had been done I pulled off into a parking lot as did the driver whom did the deed.  It was a nice old man who apologized and immediately took responsibility (though there wasn't a doubt on that one). As I suspected the truck was fine and his Equinox only had a small scratch from the impact.  The old man again kept apologizing and stated that he was just messing with his phone and not paying attention.  There are a thousand jokes that could be told from that incident and scenario, but I'm not touching them just for the fact the old guy was sincere and it didn't really bother my day.  Wednesday though, I woke up with a sore neck which I doubt the wreck had anything to do with it and was more from training, but I played it safe and had a light workout, cardio session then took the night off in order to make sure I didn't put myself on the sidelines any longer.  This seemed to work as today I woke up after a nice 8 hours of rest and the neck is feeling fine and this morning's workout and cardio was probably the best I've had all week.


Outlook So Far

Well this first week has been full of probably some of the most intense and hardest workouts I have done in a long time (ever?) and my body can definitely feel it.  On the plus side I have dropped about 8 pounds in a weeks time from the workouts which may not be healthy, but hey it feels good.  I realize that to complete the task at hand I'm going to have to drop some major weight by the middle of October so that it will be easier on the knees and legs for the 12 miles that Tough Mudder requires.  I have two "checkpoints" that I'm looking at for weight wise, one being my wedding next month which is almost a month from Tough Mudder, and the other being the day of Tough Mudder itself.  I'm confident giving the effort I gave this past week that I will meet those goals, but am ready to take the next few days off and let the body heal some as I head back to the Bluegrass State for my Best Man's own wedding.

Again, thanks everyone for reading the blog and supporting my efforts for not only Tough Mudder but raising money for Wounded Warrior!

Boots To Asses Time

What can I say I'm a wrestling fan and have been since the good ole days when Ultimate Warrior was shaking the ring ropes and Hulk Hogan was delivering leg drops and B graded Hollywood movies like Suburban Commando, which I am still waiting on a sequel for.  I'm sure I'm note the only one right?  However if there was one person who personified the "Attitude Era" not named Stone Cold Steve Austin, it would have to be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Though he disappeared for a while to make something Hulk Hogan never could quite accomplish, quality (for the most part) Hollywood movies, he is now somewhat back in the wrestling picture and is as charismatic as ever.  When trying to decide what my first post should be titled one of The Rock's latest slogans "Boots to Asses" just stuck out like a sore thumb as it is such a great motto for training and getting motivated in accomplishing something as challenging as Tough Mudder that I just couldn't resist the lure.  Sorry for copyright infringement Dwayne (Don't sue me bro) but I would guess that if you ever stumbled upon this blog you would say this would be okay as I am running not only for my own personal benefit, but to help benefit a foundation that gives back to our country's veterans, The Wounded Warrior Project So again, thanks for the slogan to help jumpstart this blog and my training Rock!

Having got the introduction to this blog out of the way, it's time to discuss why am I writing this blog and even more so why the hell am I determined to run, climb, crawl, and do other numerous things to finish the 12 mile Tough Mudder course in my home state of Kentucky in less then 3 months time.  When I first signed up for Tough Mudder a few months ago I looked at this as a challenge to myself to accomplish something that it seems does not have a 100% completion rate.  I would not say there are horror stories involving Tough Mudder, but the consensus is clear, this is not something you can half ass and expect to complete if you have not conditioned your body for the obstacles it will endure for around a 3 hour time frame. Considering I hate running as much as I hate Tennessee Orange, I knew this would not be an easy task and something that upon completing I will probably feel the effects for several days afterwards.  

However, signing up for this as a personal conquest is just a small thing considering what else completing this Tough Mudder means to me.  I am fortunate enough that I have several friends from my old dojo (What's up Budokai Mudders!)  back home who are also willing to share in the pain with me as well in accomplishing one of the main objectives of Tough Mudder is, a group building experience. For the past several months we have encouraged each other through Facebook to keep striving during training and that we are in this together.  Having moved over 4 hours away I can say that I miss the camaraderie that exists between this group of guys not only inside the dojo, but outside as well.  Though I do visit as much as I can on each return trip back home, words can not describe how much being associated with Bluegrass Budokai has meant to me for the past several years.  

Moving on from the personal, group experience.  There is an even bigger reason why I am running Tough Mudder.  As described in the intro Tough Mudder has been great in helping raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project which is one of my favorite charity foundations.  Though I have never served in the military I believe it is instrumental that our country recognizes the sacrifices our soldiers have made so that we can express the freedoms that we have on a day to day basis.  There are too many stories out there about veterans being lost in the system when they return home and not being able to get the medical attention they deserve.  One of the best things about Tough Mudder is the fact they allow each participant the individual donation page (https://register.toughmudder.com/fundraising/donate.aspx?event=7329...)   I know whatever money I raise will be a drop in the bucket to help the millions of veterans who need our assistance, but at the same time I realize it's a start and for a good cause and that is something I can get motivated for.  

Finally to tie all these things together, one of the last reasons why I'm running Tough Mudder is for the memory of a friend who was not only believed in duty to your country, but someone who believed in the Wounded Warrior Program as well, Adam Morefield.  Hope to make you proud my friend!  

I will update this page hopefully pretty regularly regarding my training and insight on how I plan to tackle the Kentucky Tough Mudder in October....which speaking of, I have to go right now to complete some cycling to help with the cardio...."Boots to Asses" that's the old saying right?