Week 1 / Day 5 - Vetus Bellator (Old Warrior)

I'm an old warrior. I'm not the three sport, Hall of Fame, Marine Corps distinguished High School Athlete that I was 25+ years ago. In many ways I'm better. My capacity for adversity has increased over the years. I know when to push, and when not to. I still love patches. In high school it was for my letter jacket. Now it's for my TAC hat. For Christmas my daughter gave me a nice box to put all my patches in. When I need some motivation I open it and look at them, then I remember I do have it within me to finish. The greatest enemy of getting older is rationalization. I hear people say "I'm just too old for that", and I think " Who says so?". We do. We tell ourselves what our limits are. Sure, there may be limits, but why should we predetermine them?

Here was my day.

7:45 AM - 30 minutes straight of cardio with weights. Good Stuff. ( BTW, Tony Horton is over 50 and can kick my butt. I would love to see him do a GORUCK. Not because I don't think he can do it, but just because I think he would have fun.)

5:00 PM - 4 Mile Run with my son Zane on the pace bike. I love that he comes out with me. He talks non-stop and keeps me preoccupied. It's turning into our time. Pretty cool.

6:30 PM - 100 push-ups ( 4 sets of 25. The goal is to do 2 sets of 50 by Heavy, and then a straight 100 by Selection).

Week 1 / Day 4 : Resting Does Not Mean Being Passive

7:45 AM - This morning was my rest day from running or rucking, but I did 30 minutes of Pilates and still have 100 sit-ups to do. I have a 4 mile run tomorrow, and a 10 mile ruck Saturday in addition to my P90X workouts. It's natural for people doing P90X workouts to skip Yoga or Pilates.  I have found them to be very helpful for my hip flexors and lower back. I have noticed my hips popping, which is usually an indication that they're out of alignment (due to running on roads). I'm making a call today to get adjusted. I'm not against rest, trust me, but it doesn't always have to be a lethargic rest either. My only true rest day (physically) is Sunday.

Week 1, Day 3 / Killing Two Birds With One Stone

Starting weight: 230 lbs. Today's Weight: 228 lbs. (- 2 lbs)

6:40 AM - Finished the ruck. It was refreshing given I've run the last two days for the first time in months. I decided to bring the dogs along. They haven't gotten a walk that long since winter started. They're pretty happy right now.

I like rucking in the winter. It was peaceful. I would like to say I feel God's pleasure when I run, but as my friend says, " I actually feel His disdain."

7:45 AM -  P90X3 Accelerator is not my favorite workout; a lot of plank work. But, it's pretty good if you have to get used to push-ups and bear crawls.

U.S. Navy Seal David Goggins: "No Limits"

Perspective!

Adapt, Modify, and Overcome

5:30 AM - I didn't expect to wake up with a tweak in my lower back, but there it was. I started moving around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I adjusted my expectations for the day. Made some coffee and prepared some work.

7:45 AM - My exercise routine for the day started with 30 minutes of active stretching once my back limbered up a bit. The active stretching was just the ticket. My plan is to go for a 3 mile run after work, and move my one hour ruck to tomorrow morning. I did four sets of 25 push-ups yesterday and plan to do the same with sit-ups today.

4:30 PM - 3 mile run with my pace biker, Zane. Running in the winter with a head wind is no fun. Getting the run done with my son setting the pace was the best. Relentless Forward Progress.

Blogs Don't Kill Bears, Running Does.

6:35 AM - The idea of running, and the actual execution of running are two different things. You might blog a mean game, but actually showing up to run is different. I completed my first 3 mile run in several months. It went very well. No stopping. Good Pace (for me). And the first sense of accomplishment. I didn't time it because the goal was just to keep going. Next workout is at 7:45 AM.

7:45 AM - Isometrics . . . are not fun after running. They are hard. 30 minutes of 45 second holds. Wow.

Breakfast - Vanilla Shakeology with a bit of peanut butter and a banana.

The Selection Chronicles

As of tomorrow, I have 33 weeks until GORUCK Selection. My plan is to post my daily workouts, nutrition, weight, and progress. You would think having done 4 GORUCK events, and one attempt at Selection already would help, but I am considering myself starting at ground zero. I'm following  Bert Kuntz basic approach to preparation, and gleaning wisdom from a book Selection finisher Tim Erwin sent me. Like Dan said, why talk to anyone else other than those who have finished.

Each week I will be running on M,W,F, and rucking T,S. My off days will be TH,SN. In addition to these, I will be cross training 5 days a week, and alternating push-ups and sit-ups at lunch each day. So, 5 days a week I will be training 3 times a day, with one long ruck on the 6th day. My cross training will be primarily comprised of Beachbody workouts ( P90X3, T25, Insanity, etc). My nutrition will include Shakeology in the morning and afternoon, and follow the basic nutrition guides provided by BB.

Currently, I'm just under six feet tall, and weigh 230. I can do 62 push-ups in 2 minutes, and 65 sit-ups in 2 minutes. My average mile pace is right around 9 minutes for 3 miles. My ruck pace for 7 miles is currently 16ish minutes. Given that I'm preparing in Western, PA should help because there's not a straight flat road to be found.

I divided the 33 weeks into three 11 week periods, each with an event at the end ( 1/2 marathon, Heavy, Selection). Each of the 11 week periods I'll be following a 1/2 marathon training program starting at novice and working up to intermediate, including rucking ( I keep hearing do more rucking).  My immediate goal is to prepare for the 1/2 marathon (May 4th), with the goal of loosing the first 20 lbs, and dropping my mile pace to 8:30.  My intermediate goal is sub 200 lbs,  and running as close to 8 minute miles as possible for Heavy (July 11th). My Selection goals is to be at 190 lbs and  be able to exceed all PT standards (October 10th).

The adventure begins in 5 hours. It's time to kill the bear.