Fri Dec 31 Resolutions / Directions / Rememberances

Before I start this post, I found this on YouTube. It's one of my coaches from my time at McMaster. Why I thought to search for him today, I'll never know. Still, it's a friggin cool match.



In any case, I gotta say, I hate those year end shows on TV I used to watch. I can honestly say that, except for some children's shows, movies, the weather channel and the news, I don't watch much tv these days. I read the newspaper or online journals to keep myself informed, but the tv just doesn't do it for me anymore. But I digress

This year for me went as well as it could. I started out heavier than I am now, certainly in poorer shape and not training as hard as I could have. If I was to reflect on the wasted time and effort in previous years, I might start to have regrets. And, I ain't gunna use this here blog to cry about crap like that. There is no point to it. So, I move forward.

"This is who I am".

I'm running a Resolution Run today in Burlington. It's like ten degrees outside (that's like 45 degrees for my American readers) man ... that's like spring. I'll bet there are people golfing around here today. But not me, nope. Working out and running and taking care of my family. I am thinking about running tonight in shorts and a long sleeve shirt.

I see that as my future, the "who I am" for the next year. Training, learning how far I can go, then going further. I read the tweets and facebook status of Spartan Race which gives training ideas. Reading Mike MacNeil's stuff. I'm reading a lot on the USC website ... I'm reading, reading and reading. I am fit - but better fitness is always better. I am strong, and more strength is always better. I am happy, I am working full time. I have enough to pay most bills on time. I also see me keeping up with this independent learning, too.

What else to be resolved about? Not sure. A few thoughts for things to get started/done after Nationals in no particular order:

Golden Horseshoe Kettlebell Club?
A RKC certification?
A black belt in BJJ?
A marathon in Toronto/Niagara Falls in October of 2011?
the Spartan Race
the 10k mud run?
other running events?
what about a field event, like shot put - in the masters division? (Dan John did it, why not me?)
more wrestling - although this is sort of a no-brainer. I love getting on the mats.

and there's always the Professional Development I am doing through work, which I'm trying to do on the cheap at the moment, but I know there is more formal course work ahead of me ... once my wife gets back to work next Christmas.

And there is just more of what I am already doing: learning about nutrition, fitness, teaching, iron, kettlebells, GPP and staying this way into my older years. I'm so tired of being told who I am, so ... all of these things permit me to define who I am.

In any case, what follows is the usual food and training log:

Breakfast ; steak and eggs

Lunch coffee, beef on a bun.

Dinner/after run meal was pizza made by my family.

I did this: The 5k run - there was no chip timing, so I did it myself. I'll have to get a chip timed run in at some point this winter.

I also did this:

deadlifts and BW squats to bring in the new year.

Finally, just before the run today, I checked my email to find out that a rugby buddy died last night in a car crash. Carpe Diem - you never know when it's your time, man. I'm going to miss Roddy. That's me on the bottom row, and Roddy right behind me, wearing the same jersey as me:




He was a finer human being than I hoped to meet.

Thursday Dec 30

I laughed at today ... seriously.

I got my newborn to bed at about 5:30 ... and I was wiiiiiiiiide awake. So, I did what I would do ... I went for a 6k run. My wife had a "you're crazy but I love you" look on her face when I got back. I showered, then went for a Timmy Ho's run. I felt stronger for not getting any crappy food.

Here is what I ate;

Breakfast: tuna, veggie and hummus wrap

lunch: feta cheese and veggie wrap. a beer to drink.

dinner BBQ steak, salad with a side of veggies. I love BBQing at home. Meals for the week!

Later, I did three rounds of:

5 deadlifts 160 lbs
4 chin ups
10 BW squats

Why? so that I could say I did them. Anyway, off for a bit of fun, then up for family time tomorrow, a race then a nice quiet New Years Eve with my "five family", as my five year old puts it. I count myself blessed far beyond anything I deserve. Seriously.

Oh, just recalled, have to do a KB workout before doing the Run tomorrow. And take pics. "cause I told ZEE I would. In his awesome t-shirt.

I wish McNeil would have t-shirts. I'd but at least two of his... (hint, hint)...

Wed Dec 29th

I love having time off from work. It's even better when it is PAID time off work. Well, not really, I get a salary and I got the next part of it today. Made it to ceramic painting today, but my iPhone was out of juice, so no pics. Meh, s'ok. When I go to pick it up, I'll post a pic here of my handiwork. Not a bad date (or gift to myself) for my ninth wedding anniversary.

My wife had to hit a doctor's appointment today, and so I got lunch ready for three kids and myself. I must say I was pretty impressed with my lunch preparations today. I'm going to get a kettlebell/garage workout in. I made a few new facebook friends today - one of which runs the CrossFit place closest to my house. I keep thinking about getting myself further educated in the business of fitness, but I think that is a goal at least a year away. For the time being, I'm just going to get under the iron and focus on that. At least until I have to start worrying about making weight.

I ate this:

Breakfast: coffee

Lunch: roast beef wraps, prime rib soup. (not a typo) OJ and GJ to drink.

Dinner: Roast chicken, 5 smilie fries, veggies and OJ to drink.

I did this for 27 min, AMRAP

8-10 deadlift 160 lbs
10-15 40 (later rounds used the 53 lb KB) dh swings
15-20 legs elevated push ups
8-10 tricep extensions
10 bicep curls
20 BW Squats
8-10 30 lb flies
8-10 50 lb rows

I did 6 rounds of this. It was pretty awesome getting back under the metal today. I moved the car out of the garage to give me more space. It was pretty chilly, so not very much sweat, not until I went inside when I was done. Speaking of sweat, I got to have a bath tonight, too. I had a bath with my son - no pics on this one, man. Sorry.

Have been doing a lot of reading from the CrossFit Journal today - lots of free and semi - free articles. Good information. I've been wondering about the difference between this type of learning v a traditional classroom learning. Fat phys Ed teachers drive me nuts. Smoking and obese nurses drive me batty, too. If you learn how to lift weights and live a healthy lifestyle, you might want to already be that person.

Seems our schools have been letting our children down - How high are the obesity rates in Canada these days? My kids only get to run around at recess and after school at gymnastics or swimming... why not everyday at school? Why can't the emphasis be on a well rounded student who stays off of the welfare rolls be more important than a student who can do well on a series of government run tests and be on all kinds of health care rolls?

tues dec 28

This was an odd day. I went to bed about 6am. I took care of my boy until then, I was up until then, too. Fell asleep at 6am. I wanted to go for a run, but put it off until this evening.

I fell asleep and got up about 10am - and helped my kids put together a plan for the day. We wanted to do ceramic painting got there in reasonable time, to find out it was closed. We went out for lunch instead.

I got home and napped again. I had to, I was just exhausted. Which, I find, makes it really easy to cheat on a diet. Citing exhaustion really makes it easy to cheat.

In any case, I got up, cleaned the living room, went for a 5k run and then made the family dinner, then got them in bed. In any case, I got to Blue at the Nike+ website. I also discovered Slowgeek.com, a website which takes the data from Nike and does some magical stuff with it. Kinda neat. I'm pretty sure there are other similar sites out there, I just haven't gone too far in looking for them.

Right, now that the Nike+ thing is complete, I'm going to be getting back into my garage and doing the lifting that I need to do. I'm also going to be getting on a mat soon, too.

I am thinking about giving the 25 bucks to the CrossFit Journal so I can drown in the articles they publish. I mean ... when I started this journey, I wanted a change. Is that where I want to go?

Mon dec 27

This was a tough day. At 3am, my boy just wouldn't stop fussing and crying. My wife came downstairs, picked him up ... and he kept on fussing and crying. After a while, he fell asleep, and so did I. My kids woke me up on my recliner about 8am. My two older girls are just friggin awesome. They went into the basement, got themselves a movie going and just chilled.

I rewarded them with an awesome breakfast of scrambled eggs, juice and some toast. I went to bed after they started eating, too tired to even shovel food in my mouth.

This is what I ate:

Breakfast: coffee and water, multivitamin.

Lunch: tuna on two little cresent rolls. Water to drink.

Dinner: chicken with rice and stir fried veggies. I put some roast beef into the slow cooker

After run snack: roast beef wrap. simply awesome. Glass of red wine.

The run was 5.6 kms - more than enough to get me past the 1000km mark on the Nike+ website. Currently it's kind of pissing me off as it isn't getting itself together enough to turn colours. I know it is a small thing in the real scheme of things - but when that profile turns blue, I can go back to kettlebelling.

Oh, right. I should have been at FACT tonight. Had to weasel out as I was otherwise needed at home. Wife is back on anti-biotics, as is my youngest. I'm the one keeping the whole show in the road, so to speak. I'm just glad I didn't have to spend a few hours waiting for some frigging doctor or nurse to push paper at me. I was needed to get everything together, hug, tell stories and get people into bed. Wanna try doing that with an infant in your hands?

Yeah, neither did I.

Sun Dec 26

went to bed semi early last night and then had to get up to feed my boy. After he was fed and back asleep, I went for a run. That was pretty dark out there - finished by 7am.

The rest of the day was a blur - getting the kids to my parent's place, waiting at the Oakville hospital for two hours while the staff there dithered. My kid got seen, got a script and a shot. Another day wasted. Glad I got it together and got the run in, otherwise I'd be pissed at myself right now.

Ate this today:

Breakfast: tuna wraps, after the run. Down to less than 3kms to Blue.

Lunch: bowl of Timmy's chili as I waited for the doctor to find himself.

Dinner: ham, veggies and two salads: fruit and regular. Beer to drink. My parents place was cleaned up after everyone left this morning.

I also got a chance to check my weight after the dinner was done. I'm sad to report I'm down only to 237. But that is the kicker - I'm a lot less fat, too. I didn't measure that - I did take before pics at the start of Sept. and I have more muscle. But that doesn't count at Nationals. I have to hit 211. I'm also thinking that I am down from 255 at this time last year. When I started this, I was 244. Anyway you look at it, I'm making slow progress. December has been a rough month for me - diet and workouts always a distant second to my newborn.

I'm thinking I need to step onto the bandwagon, give up beer and see where that gets me. I don't want to cut out all the carbs and go totally rabbit food on myself, at least not yet, but I know one thing: Diet is king here, man. That, and I need to get on a mat.

On a final note, I ot my wife to listen to some of Morgan Spurlock's book Don't Eat This Book, which may be slightly hysterical, but it got us talking about our diet. She also commented that for the last little while, I've been making something for the rest of the family to eat while I made myself something healthier. I hadn't realized that I was doing that - but I'm glad I'm married to her, as she noticed it. When she's done breastfeeding, I know she wants to get her body back to the way it was when we met. Dec 29th, 2010 is nine years married!

Sat Dec 25

Merry Christmas.

I read this idea this morning, before the kids got up and trash the living room, on the idea of a deadlift: Pick something up, put it down. Repeat.

Simple, but effective ideas seldom sound anything than the basics. Even Shakespeare wrote directly when it was called for: "To be or not to be." Yup, that's pretty simple and direct. Not a lot of sleep last night - or this morning. Whatever. I'm up with my bot, waiting to feed him. Or not. Depends on him, I guess. Lots of OJ and GJ for me this morning. Coffee to come shortly.

After the coffee came the traditional ripping of presents. I'm sorry to say there are no pics. Just close your eyes and imagine ripped paper flying, Zhu-Zhu pets running rabidly around and a small child with a swollen eye.

Oops, did I forget to mention that. Yeah. Had to take him to emergency after the bedlam was over. Was there from 11am to 3:30pm. Basically my day. Then went to my parents place for dinner. Oh, the boy had a shot in his arm after giving blood. Ever wanted to rip someone's head off, even though you knew logically they were right? Yeah, me too. Merry Christmas.

Nothing to eat until dinner. Seriously.

Breakfast and Lunch: coffee.

Dinner: Chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies. Beer to drink.

After I got home, I decided that life was not going to dictate to me to take two days off. I took a page (actually and email) from ZEE that I got today to heart. It said, basically, "lift heavy stuff today." So, I did 20-25 minutes of :

Deadlifts
KB two handed swings
KB snatches
tri/bicep work
BW squats (deep, deep squats)
"other"

I just kept moving, lifting heavy stuff in my garage gym. It was chilly in there, I was barefoot, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I just didn't care. Needed to work something out of my system.

Let's hope tomorrow is a lot more fun. Need to finish my Nike+ level off, too.

Fri Dec 24

Today was busy. Up in the morning to fight my way in to the Mall to finish off my gift list and then home. That sounds simple, but involved a lot more than just one guy, one van and one list. I'm just glad I got home in one piece.

Made it to the rugby club's carol singing, then home then to church. I was constantly on the move, constantly being asked to get things done. I got them done and more

I am grateful that my body works as well as it does, I am grateful that my family is healthy this holiday season and has been healthy thus far. I know that I am a very lucky man to have three children and a wife who love me very much. They will have a full tree experience tomorrow and they know they they are very lucky to have it, too.

Everything I have isn't as a result of chance - I have a great family who want me to be happy. My parents, my siblings, my wife my children are all apart of what it is that I am, and what I can do and what I am doing. I stand on their shoulders to do great things.

That being said, I brought the cookies my children made with my mother to the rugby club so I wouldn't be the one eating all of them. I ate one instead of several hundred.

I ate thie today:

Breakfast coffee

Lunch tuna wraps ; tuna with mayo, veggies and hummus. OJ to drink

Dinner; chicken breast with rice and salad. Beer to drink.

Beer while I was being Santa. It made things go more smooth.

No workout yet, but I will be going up and down stairs a few times to get things together. I may go out into the garage in a while and ponder life, and I may do something while there.

Merry Christmas - let's hope the next 100 days are as fun as the last 100 have been!

Thurs Dec 23

Ugh today. I knew that if I didn't run in the morning, I wasn't going to get one in.

What did I do? I missed a run today. I was driving the car or visiting with family the rest of the day. I tried really hard not to let my "ba humbug" spirit get out. I think I did a decent job. I still have my wife to buy for tomorrow.

I ate this today:

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, with some veggies tossed in, too

Lunch was a burger with a few fries. Beer to drink with a buddy I don't see very often

Dinner was chicken with rice and veggies. Water to drink. Almonds as dessert.

Anyway, I didn't have a lot of time today. So, I did this when I could. Kids were in front of the TV, PJs on, ready for bed. Some Christmas special I would have mocked, so I went into the garage and did four or fiv rounds of this:

15 BW Squats
6-8 deadlifts 160 lbs (perhaps Santa will breing me a few more 50 lb plates)
10 tricep extensions 30 lbs
10 bicep curls 30 lbs
10 40 lb KB snatches

I jsut kept going until I heard my kids running up the stairs. I went in and tucked them into bed, had a shower and now am looking after my newborn son. On to 3am.

Wed Dec 22

I'm off to a slow start today - feeding baby and getting my other two to help me make scrambled eggs tends to do that. I just got them settled in on their kitchen chairs and saw this:




Not sure I should have seen that - now I want to train my restarts with a narrow space between my feet, instead of at least shoulder width apart. I do like the switch at 3:07, too. That's cool, man.

I did this today:

25 minutes, finished 7 or eight rounds.

10 KB swings 53 lb bell
6-8 deadlifts 160 lbs
10 TRX BW rows
10 incline push ups
5 chin ups
10 40 lb KB OH presses
10 30 lb flies

I also got a short run in - but long enough to put my PB for the 5k at 23:41. Seriously, if I get something close to that on the Resolution Run, I'll be impressed. Played a little bit with the toes, extending them, kicking at the end of the stride, too. Knees, too. Got them up a little higher during a part of the run, which raised the pace a little. Can't help but be a little suspicious of the Nike+ sensor today.

I ate this today:

Breakfast coffee and water with a tuna and veggie wrap. My scrambled eggs got stolen.

Snack Almonds and lots of water.

Lunch roast beef and veggie (pepper, hot pepper and onion) sandwich. Water to drink.

Watched The Expendables today - that Sly Stallone and his HGH ... looked awesome. That Randy Couture and his cauliflower ear looked ok. Glad they didn't give him a lot of lines.

Tues Dec 21

Today was a better one - more time to just hang. Watched my wife try on a CuddlyWrap with my newborn. Dang, I am so glad I didn't take pics. I had to leave the room, I was chuckling to myself. Had I continued to watch, I might have ended up being single... I'll see if I can't get the thing around my shoulders and get a pic of my with it on here.

I got up and went for a run .. I'm talking a RUN. 8kms of joy. I finished it in 38 minutes, which I thought was good. I also recorded the best 5k run I've ever done: 23:50. If I run that at the end of the month while on a chip, I'll be impressed.

At the end of the day, I didn't want to go for another run. I'm almost done this rather idiotic attempt to "turn blue". So, I did what I should have been doing for the last little bit:

25 minutes of this routine:

10 40 KB swings
6-8 deadlifts 120 lbs
10 TRX bodyweight rows
10 incline pushups
10 BW squats
10 bicep curls (sorry, had to)

I had wanted to to some other things (SB OH lunges, sledge hammer the tire, tire flip and the like) but lacked space and time to move the vehicles. So, I dealt with what I had. Felt pretty good after.

I ate this today:

breakfast: coffee and juice

Lunch Roast beef wraps; roast beef, green peppers, onion, hot peppers, salad fixins. It was unreal how delicious it was. Water to drink. Just don't let me breathe on you.

Dinner was beef and veggies on rice. Water to drink. Pretty good meal, actually.

I made it out of the local Chapters without hurting anyone. It might have been the fact that I was holding my boy in his carrier, but no one got hurt. Which is good.

Monday Dec 20

This is a long day - my kids are at home as am I. All three of them are demanding, which puts an incredible pressure on me to keep myself in line.

I did not get a lifting session in, but I did focus on a run, setting a new PR in the 5k run - 24:19. That's the ticket. Worked on the last push of the stride on this one - seems ot have paid off. Had the least amount of clothing I've ever worn on a winter run, and it was about -4C out. I'm thinking a part of my slowness is overheating while on the runs themselves. I can also control what I ate, so I kept this part of my life pretty clean, too:

Breakfast: coffee to drink, not sure of anything else.

Lunch was a tuna salad, almonds and water to drink.

Snack was a slice of left over pizza.

Dinner: chicken breast wrap with hummus and veggies. Water to drink.

Lots of water today, with OJ and GJ, too. One slip, and that's meh ...

Sunday Dec 19

Oh, man ... I'm exhausted today. Up later than I expected with the young one, off to pick up my kids in Toronto then a drive to Guelph. I guess I was expected to be happy and fun loving, but I just didn't have it in me today.

I'll put this out there: I've never really liked Christmas. Trying hard not to crap all over my children's holidays, but I swear this season gets worse every year.

Anyway, we're home and my diet for the day wasn't terrible:

Breakfast: tuna and salad wraps, coffee to drink

Lunch: meat sandwich ...just not sure what meat it was. Looked chicken or turkey ish. A handful of meatballs

Dinner peas, corn, meatballs, slice of ham, small bun and a salad. One serving, although I had to fend off several relatives who wanted me to burst my diet. Coffee and water to drink. It was a dry party, man. No alcohol was easy to do here.

I got home, got the stuff out of the vehicle, got my kids to bed and then went for a run. I called it a "woodshedding" run - was trying to work on form and learned something about a drive from the toe at mid stride. It added a lot to the speed (or so the Nike+sensor said) and even reduced the stress demand. I could go faster and demand less air. Was a good run - 5.5 km in 27 minutes. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

Tomorrow, I try for a longer distance using the same sort of leg push. See what happens. Although, I might try to get to FACT tomorrow, too.

Wow, did I ever swear a lot when foam rolling tonight. That stuff really ... um ... firetrucking hurts, man. Shut the front door. Fo' real.

Sat Dec 18

I felt a metric tonne load better this morning, after getting some sleep (not a lot, but some) and a short run in the morning. I just like running - gets my mind out of where it is ... the sweat just cleans my mind, like water cleans an old blackboard.

I just feel better after a run.

The fact that all of the world champions in wrestling and boxing also run isn't a bad reason to run, either. ;)

Ate this today:

Breakfast poached egg with veggie wraps. Coffee to drink.

Lunch poached eggs with chicken. It was eaten one handed with my son in the other.

Dinner was a small organic pizza. 650 calories of yummy. Beer to drink.

I went on a second run tonight, to bring today's run total to 11.39 kilometres. That's pretty far. My Nike+ sensor also does a decent job counting calories, and it counted 1,318 calories for today's efforts. That my friends, is good news. Would have been better without so bad a diet, but alas, that is how my days are rolling.

Right, before the second run, I also did five rounds of this:

15 two handed swings 40 lb KB
6-8 reps Military barbell press, 90lbs
10 TRX rows

So .. I went for a run, hung with family, workout, then another run today. Pretty awesome. Down to 32 kms left to go to turn blue on that silly Nike+ website. Talked about the Spartan Race with my wife today, too. That also looks good for June 19th. I'm also looking for a 1km fun run to do with my kids when the weather turns warm. It was a good day for talking to my kids about fitness, man. They're awesome.

Fri Dec 17

This had a rough start to the day. My boy isn't sleeping well and I've gotten into the habit of staying up even after I get him asleep. I've been watching an a number of my podcasts on the big screen television, which I though would put me to sleep.

No dice.

In any case, I've got today to get through then off for two weeks. I'm hoping it all works out and that everyone in my family is at least content. Dunno. Middle child is cranky we missed her daycare's party yesterday. I'm not. That place is a perfect incubator for flu and other sicknesses. Who wants that over the Break?

I'm thinking today is a rest day. Perhaps a short run. Or a short workout. A lot of that going on today. My body needs rest, man. More stretching, too. I want to get to blue so badly right now .... I need to get out of the house, too. Running serves both ideas at the moment, man. Whoosh!

Saw this today:



Ate this today:

Breakfast: nothing - I was impressed I recalled my name this morning.

Lunch: meatballs, samosas, spicy wraps of questionable nutritional value. Water to drink. I gave away all the candy people were giving me. A year ago, I ate it all.

Snack: more meatballs, handful of grapes.

Dinner: two slices of pizza my wife ordered. They did not go down well.

Not the best diet, I know. The worst thing was getting home, I went and had a nap instead of doing even a quick workout. I was exhausted. I still am, even after a few naps today.

Tonight, no workout. No run, nothing. I will make up for today. I have to.

Thursdayy Dec 16

This was a rough start of a day; up early with my boy. Not a lot of sleep.

On the way in, ate a Belt and a coffee

No lunch brought in today, so I had some of the leftovers from a party help down the hall. Stir fry veggies and some lobster sushi. It was pretty tasty, actually.

Lots of water to drink.

Dinner was chicken breast with veggies and rice.

After the run, I had some OJ and GJ with some vodka in it. Sort of a thank goodness that run is over and tomorrow is my last day of work for two weeks kind of a thing.

I saw this post by the Wildgorillaman on beach volleyball. I thought it was just awesome. You are so welcome, man.

Did six rounds of this workout

15 DH 40 lb KB swings
5 chin ups
15 BW squats
5 OH 40 lb KB snatches

then I did a 5k run (I missed a PB by 5 seconds) then a warm down run of about 1.5 kms. I have 40km before my colour changes on the Nike+ website. I want this coulour change so bad, it's funny. My wife looked like she was going to stab me when I told her I was going on a run at 7pm tonight. I'm thinking right after work tomorrow instead.

Wed Dec 15

I was floating around today and saw this:


but then saw this one, and was really impressed with it:



I ate this:

Breakfast : smoothie and coffee to drink on my way in

Lunch ate it early; tuna on salad. Almonds and water.

After work snack: chicken breast. Yummy.

Dinner: a slice of pizza with my kids. Water to drink

Did this:

seven rounds of this:

10 40 lb KB swings
5 chin ups
8-10 KB rows

then went for a 30 minute run - got a 5k run in. Felt just awful during the run, but better after. I had to do some foam rolling to get my legs to even speak to me, man. It was awful. I was pretty cranky, man.

Tues Dec 14

Another step back to normal. Awesome. I had a pretty early start, but my newborn loves to sleep when I hold him, so we sleep a lot. Who knew that men liked to nap?

Anyway, ate this today:

Breakfast smoothie was a good switch back. Coffee.

Lunch was at 10 am - tuna and veggie wraps (no hummus today) Almonds and water to drink.

Lunch lunch was a tuna salad. I was so hungry.

Dinner was pasta with veggies. Water to drink. Almonds for dessert.

After run snack ... dunno, haven't had it yet.

The run tonight made me realize that I'm making progress. I'm in not bad shape - perhaps better than I thought. 7.5 k run in 38 minutes is, well, better than I've done in a while. A long while. I'm also thinking that ... with a little simple math here ... that I could do a sub hour 10 k run ... by the end of December.

How'd that grab you by the testicles and run with them, eh?

I've done that once before - a 58 minute run on a treadmill, which I thought was going to hurt me. If I recall, I had to limp off and stretch for days after. I'd do it before the end of December to make sure my Nike+ profile reached a new level before the end of 2010. Shallow and vain, I know ... but a feather in my cap. If I don't play rugby this summer, I'd be running for the five months I usually take off; who knows, maybe train for a half -marathon in the fall... I went dreaming there for a minute, but it was a good minute.

I'd like to make sure I get to Edmonton, I have to make sure my family is healthy and happy. I'd like to get back on a mat and earn back some self respect and the respect of my peers and those around me.

Mon Dec 13

OK, relax ... I made it back to work today, got my diet back under friggin control, too.

I also got a chance to do some research for myself today. I found a new CrossFit place in Burlington. Not the closest to my house, but one which features MMA. If you read the articles/bios, I'm feeding my own opinion that I need to keep up my Wrestling Certifications and earning a black belt in ... something. I need to get back on the mat.

Before I do those things, I need to work on my basic fitness. I need to keep working on what I can do, what I look like and just make a better me. Why? Because I'm just pissed at what I let myself become. And I don't think that I'll be able to look my son in the face and be proud of what I am if I am a friggin pudgy "former" wrestler. I also listened to ZEE on a Crossfit internet radio station. It was kinda painful listening to most of the show, but I did listen to ZEE's advice about training during wrestling season. For me, personally, it doesn't apply.

I also found this Url for a decent wrestling mat for my garage. Might start saving for this one, man. But I got to think that if I do that, I'm going to have to start getting on the rest of my family to start working out with me. Otherwise, all this money, effort and time is merely self serving.

Anyway, I ate this today:

Breakfast: Coffee. Needed coffee. Was up at 4am for a while. No smoothie as my boy was asleep.

Lunch: Tuna hummus veggie wrap with a side order of Almonds. Water to drink.

Dinner: I showed my wife my lunch and had the same again, with Tomato soup.

After dinner, did this workout:

105 KB swings, rounds of 15 swings
5 pull ups
5 clean and jerks with 100 lb barbell

then went on a five kilometer run.

After I got my wife and newborn to chill, read this post and felt compelled to link to it here. Cool pic, too.

Sun Dec 12

Today was not a good day for this endeavour. Diet was off and I was kinda tight for time today.

I ate this:

nothing until lunch.

Some potato chips. Coffee to drink before my son's baptism.

After the event, ate spicy chicken cassrole my mom made. A few hours later, I'm still burping acid.

Beer.

Cake.

Beer.

I was so tired, as the last of my family and guests left, I went upstairs and took a nap. It's been unreal this last few days without my wife at home during the nights. I picked her up from the hospital before the baptism, and I've never been happier in my life for someone to be around.

After the nap, I cleaned up, then went into the garage and did two sets of the following:

10 barbell snatches (100 pounds)
3 SH KB snatch

I think I have a decent KB snatch and general technique. The barbell ... not so much. I'm thinking this is where I spend my money next: proper lifting technique .... as soon as I save up the money and get some spare time.

I'm just glad I got to watch GSP beat the crap out of Kos' eye. That was a heck of a set of jabs to the face. Neat that I could watch it while cuddling with my newborn in his bedroom. I heart wireless technology.

I'm sure hoping this week is more normal than last week. I'm friggin' exhausted. Going to bed.

Sat Dec 11

Today I had to make the window to workout. And A lot of stuff tried to get in the way. Early mornig feedings, car difficulties, being stuck in an elevator with my two older children for an hour ... like a said .. a lot of stuff tried to get in my way, but I did end up working out:

1) barbell Bear (clean + squat + press) x 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 (with my new barbell!)

2A) pull ups 4 x mixed grip x submax reps
2B) 10 push ups 4 x 10 (feet up on new bench!)

3 KB drill 10 DH swings to OH clean and press (both sides) for 5 minutes

Was pretty cool.

Ate this:

Breakfast coffee

Lunch: chicken and onion wraps (not bad)

Dinner: pork loin, rice and veggies ... yeah, I ate at my parent's place. Awesome. Beer to drink.

Watching the UFC 124 snack was hummus, veggies and beer. Had to. Will work it off this week, but I'm not worried.

Fri Dec 10

Man, did today make a comeback ... I'm still really tired, really feeling alone and .. well, still taking care of three little people under the age of 8 ... ok, a rather shallow comeback, but one none the less.

I got my kids to school, talked to my boss, took the day off to take care of my newborn and made it to the hospital without falling asleep and hurting anyone. That was one thing done well. Then, I took possession of at least 400 hundred dollars worth of material for 150. A bench that was close to new, that I have seen for close to 200 in the stores, and I also got 200 lbs worth of weights, too. Delivered. right in my garage, man.





Cool.

I had a window to workout, and so I did, with the new bench, new barbells and the new dumbells, too. Was pretty slick.

Did this:

1) Tire DL
2) Bodyweight Pulling x 10 (on the TRX)
3) Bodyweight Pushing x 10 (one leg up, other on the tire)
4) 53 lb KB Swing x 10
5) OH 20 lb weights walking lunges x 50'
6)Sledge Hammer x 10
7)jump onto height (new bench - knee height)
8) incline flies 30 lb DB

This was cool

I ate this today:

Breakfast: coffee

Lunch: belt for timmy hortons, water

Dinner: chili and more water

late night food: oj and GJ

Thurs Dec 9

Post 101! W00t!

Today was a good day - busy but good. Had to leave work early, relieve my dad of taking care of my youngest, get some groceries, get my other two kids to gymnastics, get ... oh, it was a full day. And I still managed to get two workouts in.

Now, these were not full workouts, but they were better than nothing.

First workout was just after my dad left, as my son was sleeping quietly.

100 KB DH swings.
50 bicep curls
25 chin ups

I did these in sets of 10 or 15 KB Swings, then a set of curls or a set of chin ups.

Took about 15 minutes to complete.

After I got my son to my wife, took my other two to gymnastics, went on a 25 minute run with my Vibram Five Fingers. They are not a cold weather shoe, and my Nike+ sensor didn't like them either. At one point I kept the same stride pace, pressed the info button twice within 15 seconds and got a pace of ten minutes per km and then 4:28 per km. Something to do with the stride finish I was doing and the way the sensor works.

In any case, I got it done, and I'm pretty glad.

Tomorrow is looking just as full, man.

I ate this today:

Breakfast was my smoothie, same as yesterday. Also a coffee to drink

Lunch was a veggie and hummus wrap with two samosas. Water and coffee to drink

Dinner was a slice of pizza ... and I gotta regret that one, but I was with my kids and hungry and out/on the move. Next time I will do better.

Lots of water to drink today, with my multivitamin, too.

Wed Dec 8

My life took a left turn today - I'm writing this with my boy on my chest, my laptop beside me. One finger style.

I ate well today:

Breakfast - smoothie

Snack during a meeting; bagel with butter

Lunch: chilli and coffee

Dinner: roast beef wrap with tomatoes and salad. Water to drink.

I had to leave work early to take my wife to the hospital, then leave her there to take care of the rest of my family. This is really hard stuff, man. Life has me by the short and curlies at the moment. I know this is temporary, but it is kinda scary.

I'll get back to it, man. I will. My boy is sleeping so well on my chest. Eating like a pig .... burping like his old man after a night in the pub, too.

later, watched this

Tuesday Dec 7

I had a crapload of deadlines to meet at work ... and a lab appointment with my newborn. And .. the lab appointment was made, then a mad rush to work. I got everything done, but I was a space cadet. I went for a run to clear my head. Seems to have worked.

The other reason I went for a run was that my left shoulder is a little under the weather. Had to sleep on it for a good chunk of the night while cuddling with my boy. Sore, but not really worth it to mess up in the gym. And I need to replace my heater.

I got my workout in, a 6km run, under 30 minutes, I think. My iPod died on my about 3/4 of the way through the run. Meh, whatever. I had a good chance to think about how blessed I am. I also tried out a few different strides on a really flat route. Nice.

I hate running in the cold, blowing snow ... but sometimes ya just got to do it.

Ate this today:

Smoothie ; just a good way to start the day. OJ and frozen berries.

Breakfast: ugh, hate to admit it ... belt from Tim Hortons. Squished for time, man.

Lunch: carrots and hummus at work. The salad had gone bad .. been there a week, without me. GJ to drink. Water, too.

Dinner: pasta with a can of tuna in it. My kids got grossed out, but I thought it was yummy. Salad, too.

After workout snack: OJ and some almonds.

So far, this is going well. Seeing some decent results - nothing perfect, but then again, I haen't been hard core on the diet, so what do I expect? I'm thinking I got for a hard Friday at a local gym ... get a good run done, a good lifting session ... then check weight. Might happen ... and monkeys might fly out of my butt.... ;)

Mon Dec 6

I'm really trying to get into the Christmas spirit ... but just can't seem to get there. I went to get some things for my wife and children today from a drug store near my house ... and the music they were playing just made me want to sprint out to the car, man. Ugh.

Don't get me wrong, I like the holidays, certainly I want to take the time I am given with my children and re-connect with them after a busy November; but I'm just fed up with people "being nice" for one month of the year. Should be all the time.

I had a busy day - lots of prep to put the finishing touches on things at work. Lots of doctor's appointments these days, too. Made it to work today with minutes to spare. Tomorrow is going to be the same, I think.

Cringe.

In any case, I did eat "ok" today. I did also work on Windmills yesterday and today after my workouts.

This is what I did five rounds of just now:

20 push ups, various heights for the legs, various hand positions.
15 BW squats
15 40 lb KB swings
5 OH KB Snatch per side
10 tricep push downs
10 bicep curls

I felt good afterwards. To top it off, when I finished, I walked into my living room to see my wife and youngest fast asleep. My workout was so quiet, they were able to fall asleep during it. That's why I got into KB's in the first place, man. Fitness at a very soft volume...;)

I ate ok today, too:

Smoothie for breakfast: frozen berries and OJ with some GJ, too.

During the Dr. appointment, I went and had a Timmy Ho's Bagel belt. My stomach was growling loudly enough for the lady in the next stall to hear it. Seriously. No coffee.

Lunch was a roast beef sandwich. Coffee to drink. (Just one, man!) Extra RB on the side, too. No veggies, but ... I had to get moving.

Water at work.

Dinner was good soup Red Pepper soup from Campell's. Really, really good soup. And a bun.

After workout snack was OJ and a banana.

I got my kids to their various events, went shopping with my five year old. She's just so cool, man. I'm wondering what I did before I was married and had kids that was as fun. Seriously, she's just that cool, man. Anyway, tomorrow is another hard one.

I jsut saw this; this is cool, and up the same alley as I think I need to go.

Sunday Dec 5

OK, the child is finally on a feeding frenzy with my wife, and so I get to blog.

I did five rounds of this workout today:

15 wall squats (knees and toes within an inch of the wall)
20 incline push ups ( one leg for ten, then the other up for ten)
10 KB press ups each side (30 lb KB)
10 TRX body pull ups
15 40 lb KB swings

man, this looks simple but is not. Snot.

I ate this today

Breakfast: scrambled egg wrap - I had to move fast.

Snack: coffee, which I should not have had.

Lunch: coffee and a bit of my child's bagel (I think) - things get a little dicey around nap time.

Dinner chicken with some veggies. Some breaded chicken that my kids "made" me eat.

Since then, a lot of OJ. It's been very good for me.

OK, man, I hear children crying ... I have to go.

Sat dec 4

OK, there wasn't a workout in the traditional sense today. I was on the move since 7am this morning, and it just hasn't stopped. I drove from Oakville to Toronto, to Burlington to Oakville to Burlington to Oakville to Burlington today. With stops at a huge mall, my parent's place, piano lessons, my church, another mall, a grocery store and the hospital, twice. I got a fair amount of the Born to Run book read while on these drives.

But it's all worth it, as I got my son home today. We need to go back and get him checked out tomorrow, but that should be a slam dunk. At least that is my plan. Let's see if my boy can get his job done tonight and tomorrow.

I'm sore, I should have worked out this afternoon, but instead had a nap. Sue me.

I ate ok today:

Breakfast: timmy ho belt, coffee to drink.

Lunch: a few small pieces of roast beef on a plate some almonds and water to drink

Dinner: Vegetable soup and a good roast beef sandwich. A small glass of red wine to drink.

Snack: OJ and some almonds. Almonds and water to drink throughout the day.

Sleep? What's sleep?

Fri Dec 3

OK, today was pretty much a copy of yesterday until about 4:30. Got my kids to school, got to the hospital, got something to eat, got to work, got my kids and went back to the hospital. Right now I'm at home alone, washing some baby clothes to go back in a few minutes. In that hour or so, I did some shopping and some working out.

I did this workout for 25 minutes, as many rounds as possible:
1) Tire DL + 80 lbs x 5 reps (total weight was 220lbs)
2) Bodyweight Pulling x 10 (on the TRX)
3) Bodyweight Pushing x 10 (both legs on the tire)
4) 53 lb KB Swing x 10
5) OH 20 lb weights walking lunges x 50'
6) Sledge Hammer x 10
7) jump onto height (sb on top of the milk crate)
8) tricep extensions with the band, off of the chin up bar then bicep curls (band with handles)

I ate this today:

Smoothie for breakfast
meat sandwich on a pita for lunch. Coffee, too. Water to drink all day.
sirloin steak on a bun for after work snack

I'm posting this before going back to the hospital, so I might have something else to eat before I get locked in tonight. Who knows?

Anyway, kinda hoping life gets back to being home based tomorrow. Would be nice.

Thursday Dec 2

Man, I love abusing the rules to my own advantage. Today was one of the days that I cheated my butt off - I mean, I abused the rules to my own advantage.

Same diff, but one isn't legal, one is.

I ate this today:

Breakfast: smoothie; OJ, GJ and frozen fruit.

Lunch: egg at the hospital, coffee with my wife at the hosptial

Pre work snack: Sirloin on a bun, water to drink. Coffee when I got to work.

After work meal: onion soup at Timmy Ho's

After I got home meal: meat balls on a bun. Water to drink.

After workout: glass of red wine.

I had a rather harrowing day - lots of start and stop, furious action then nothing. Baby talk from the nurses, then Shakespeare. Does it get weirder? Oh, it might.

Anyway, I got the kids to bed after a visit, then did the same workout as yesterday:

Five rounds of this:

15 BW squats
15 push ups
5 chin ups
10 40 lb KB TH swings
10 KB press
8 KB rows

that was good enough to get a sweat going late at night. I then went through a crap load of report cards, team photos and other ephemeria from my childhood that my dad found in his crawlspace to get my child a cradle. I'm wondering if I ever had a decent haircut until after high school.

Wed Dec 1

I tried to get back to normal today.

But it started EARLY ... I woke at about 5am, tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't. So, I got up and got my workout out of the way, finishing shortly after 6am.

As many rounds as possible of the following:

10 push ups
10 BW squats
5 chin ups
10 40 KB double handed swings
6-8 40 lb presses each side
8 KB rows

I did this for about 25 minutes, finishing just after 6am, got my kids' lunch ready, got them up and then got them off to school. I got to the hospital to see my newborn son by 8am. I spent the day there, trying hard not to eat like an idiot. I went to a PD session for work at 4:30, then went back to the hospital until after 8pm. I'm catching some of the UFC Season 14 on the tv before bed. I wanted to do another workout before bed, but fell asleep until about five minutes ago.

I'm thinking tomorrow will be a photocopy of today, except that I'm going to put in an appearance at work tomorrow.

I ate this:

Breakfast: smoothie - frozen fruit, OJ, GJ.

Lunch: chilli, coffee

Dinner: slice of pizza

After hospital snack: meat and onion, fried in a pan. Deeelish.

Lots of water today, too. I also had a multivitamin at some point in time.

I'm getting some reading done, too. A book about a secret tribe of ultrarunners in Mexico. Seems kind of silly, but at least the author knows how to tell a story. On CD, in the car, while I'm driving around without my kids.