How about 70?

https://goo.gl/images/DF2PNQ

Race Course 2017

Here is a map of the course. 

 

Fwd: Spartan Sprint

From: Kyle Chard
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 11:25 AM
To: Dustin Radford

 

Not sure how prepped you like to be, but I dig looking at as much detail as possible, probably to a fault!

 

Here is the map from last year's Sprint at the same Motorcross site. Spartan prides themselves on changing things up every time so you'll have to wait to tomorrow or Friday to see this years…but it'll give you a taste.

 

(There were more water stops than I remember)

 

How to climb a rope.

One of the best videos I've seen on rope climbing technique. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=53WgYmEwGh4

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

You can!

https://www.spartan.com/en/community/blog/spartan-news?article=37014

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

You can!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Three weeks!

Last 2017 Team Event!

Today at 12:30 we will be meeting at EagleFern park for our last team event before the race! Bring the kids and a picnic lunch, but wear your race gear! We will be in and out of the creek, jogging, and don't forget those 26 burpees (at least)! We are looking forward to seeing the whole team there!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Race Info

Athlete guide and waivers are at the link below:

https://www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/2339/overview?c3ch=Email&c3nid=PreRace&utm_source=prerace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=portland_2017

RHR

http://app.cardiio.com

Couch to Sprint Week 3 Day 3:
10 min. brisk walk

2 min jog
1 min walk
repeat 3x

50-yard carry 15-lb sandbag
10 sandbag squats
10 sandbag deadlifts
1 min rest
repeat 3x

Mobility 1 exercises:
Hamstring stretch
Glute stretch
Spiderman stretch (hurdler's stretch)
Quads and ankle stretch
Shoulder stretch
Child's pose

Ghosts of Races Past

A bit of inspiration...

2016 Race

2013 Race

Team Event Saturday!

We will be going to Camp Arrah Wanna this Saturday, June 24th, and it sounds like FUN! Meet at the church at 9 to arrange carpools.

The workout will consist of a short hike (not as intense as Ramona Falls), low ropes team building, then lunch either at the Burro Loco restaurant in Welches or ?

$5 per person. If you haven't filled out a waiver, get in touch with Alesia. Bowies are in charge!

Couch to Sprint

How is your training going? We are down to 60 days, which is just over 8 weeks, to race day! Can you do 30 consecutive burpees? Do you think you have at least a fighting chance on every obstacle? Can you walk, jog, or run four miles?

There is still time to change your answers to YES!

We are on day 6 of the 31 day Spartan Couch to Sprint training plan. Recovery days are Wednesdays and Sundays. We are meeting today at 6:30 at the EHS track (although we can be flexible on both time and location).

If you can't join us, here's today's event (it's harder than it sounds):

Dynamic Warm-Up:

• 5 Minute easy jog
• 10x Head turns left/right
• 10x Shoulder shrugs
• 10x Arm circles (small to large)
• 10x Back slaps
• 10x Standing back bends
• 10x Lateral side bends
• 10x Standing leg swings
• 10x Ankle circles left/right
• 10x Partial squat
• 10x Partial lunge

Workout Of the Day (WOD):

• 5x Push-ups
• 30 Second plank
• 15x Squats
• 5x  Deep lunges
• 3x Lateral deep lunges left/right
• 30 Second bear-crawl hold

Repeat all 3x

Mobility 2 Exercises (cool down):

• 3x 30 Second warrior pose left/right
• 3x 15-Second Triangle pose left/right
• 3x 15-Second Unilateral Hip Flex left/right

Let me know if you'd like me to email you a copy of the whole training plan, or go here (I struggled with this for some reason): https://www.spartan.com/en/race/learn-more/race-types-overview?article=35593

Your Cardiio snapshot

Nearly to goal! I think I have a higher resting heart rate than most on average, perhaps just due to genetics. Is yours lower?

June 1 personal goals report

Yesterday I managed to pull off goal #1, running 4.06 miles in 35:46 for an average pace of 8:49/mi. I am sore today!

Remaining is 25 consecutive pull ups and 100 burpees in 10 minutes. My pull up training was interrupted when I was sick for three weeks, and my last PR was 20. I've hardly done any training for burpees either, so I don't expect to meet those goals today, although I will take a shot this afternoon.

With just over 11 weeks to go, it's time to hit it hard!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Whew!

2.5 miles at an average pace of 8:34. I started hurting about 1.5 in. Now if I could just do another 1.5 at that rate, I would hit my goal! It feels so good to be well!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

New PR!

Countdown: Spartan Race: 12 weeks, 1 day, 06 hours, 11 minutes, 39 seconds

Or 85 days... Are you getting ready? I am so happy to be mostly recovered from my three weeks of mild illness! Although I have barely trained at all, I was able to PR 20 chin-ups yesterday. I also began practicing just hanging, for grip strength. 1 full minute of hanging hurt!

http://countdownstar.com

Your Cardiio snapshot

This is the lowest I've seen for a long time!

Body Composition Results

Body Fat: 14.05 %
Date: 2017-05-05
Method: Jackson/Pollock 3
Weight: 142
Lean Body Weight: 122.05 lbs
Body Fat Weight: 19.95 lbs

Caliper Measurements
Thigh: 11 mm
Abdominal: 22 mm
Chest: 11.2 mm
Body Fat Goal: You need to lose 4.9 lbs fat weight to reach your goal of 11%

Sent from Body Tracker iPhone App. (click for App)

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Your Cardiio snapshot

5K anyone?

Running a 5K (3.1 miles) for fun might be a great intermediate goal for the team, and this one is very inexpensive! ($5 - Jun 11, 2017Su 9:30am to 11:30am, Lent's Park)

https://apm.activecommunities.com/portlandparks/Activity_Search/5k-series-lents-park/71486

Who's in?

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 110 days, 5 hours, 53 minutes, 15 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Spartan Team Events Coming Up!

Spartan Team Event #4 (Sunday, May 21st - kids included) is coming soon!

We will have a picnic, monkey bars, an obstacle course, and will be getting muddy... how can you resist that! Yamamotos are in charge!

National Learn to Row Day (Saturday - June 3rd - ages 12+) sounds fun!

Kristen has suggested a "gap" event, a free 60-90 minute event on the Willamette River. We can pick a slot to go together. First chance is 8:00AM, last chance is 11:00AM.

Also, it's time to make a commitment for Spartan Team Event #5 (Saturday, June 24th - adults only)! 

We need to have everyone signed up no later than May 10. We will be going to Camp Arrah Wanna on June 24th. The workout will consist of a short hike (not as intense as Ramona Falls), low ropes team building, then lunch either at the lodge on camp or the Burro Loco restaurant in Welches. Waivers for camp use will be circulating soon. Bowies are in charge!

2.5 Mile Estacada route

This route has 3 playgrounds and some good terrain along the way. If I could keep up the pace for another 1.5 miles, I'd be really close to my time goal.The red bits are where there are playgrounds or possible obstacles.

http://runkeeper.com/activity?userId=42785753&trip=973626799


To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Setting Goals

With 16 weeks (tomorrow) to race day, I've felt like it's getting down to crunch time. I keep thinking that's just 4 X 4, and that's not a lot of time! My challenge is to finish the race without it finishing me, but that's a bit too big and far away to actually "do," so I'm setting mini goals along the way to get me there.

My first one is to be able to do 4 miles at a 9 minute-mile pace, do 25 consecutive pull ups, and do 100 burpees in 10 minutes. I am planning to get there June 1.

Currently I can do 17 pull ups, but on the other two, I think my obstacles right now are primarily mental. I paced myself out to 4 miles in 45 minutes a few weeks ago, but I think I could beat that now. I did 20 consecutive burpees yesterday, but I think I could have done Anothee ten if I'd pushed harder.

To get to my goals, I'm increasing my run to the bus distance by getting off at earlier stops and increasing my speed. I should be running 1.6 miles most days (in three half-mile sprints) within the next few weeks, just on my commute. I also plan to map out a four-mile route around town to test myself on, maybe Sunday.

I'm also maxing out on pull-ups every other day. With a pull up bar at home and another at work, I can do a set morning, noon, and evening.

I'm planning on increasing my burpee count by two every day, which will get me to 100 (from 20) in 30 days.

I'm making a point of enjoying rest days, and trying to enjoy the outdoors on the beautiful spring days. Im also trying to eat right. After an early handful of digestive enzymes this morning (for the muscle-repairing protease) I enjoyed this:

Countdown: Spartan Race

On Friday we passed 120 days on the countdown, which seems big to me! Only 4 months!

Keep moving!


Countdown: Spartan Race: 117 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

The Hike

The Hike (video)

At the top

Ramona Falls Spartan Event #3

It was a perfect day, if a bit cool... about 45 degrees when we arrived in the parking lot, but with blue skies and warm sun (unlike the rest of the rainy week)! I'm not sure how Chris and Sybil picked the only nice day, but thanks to them for planning this!
Hmmm... a bit of snow...

The bridge has been washed out for several years, but with all these great logs going across, who needs a bridge?

More snow... A LOT more snow! I would estimate that we were on snow for at least half of the seven mile round trip!

After 3.5 miles and a 1000-foot gain in altitude, we finally made it, and it was beautiful! (But cold! It was only 38 degrees down by the falls.) We were all getting pretty tired. Good thing it was downhill on the way back!

Did I mention snow? We made an attempt to return on the other half of the trail loop, but ran out of trail after about 1/4 mile and had to go back the way we came.

Here we are nearly back to the river crossing (about 3/4 mile from the trailhead).

When we finished, we were ravenous, but Wraptitude in Welches helped us out. (Think deep-fried pickles, Burger-Wraps, and a burger called the Magnum. And the fries were great! Good call Izak!)

We were on the trail about four hours total, and although it seemed like it might be a rather tame hike when we got started, I think everyone would agree that it turned out to be pretty challenging and great exercise! After getting back home I was so tired I fell asleep for a late afternoon nap! (I would bet I'm not the only one...)

This made me realize that four miles in the heat with obstacles isn't going to be a walk in the park... Keep on training!

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 131 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes, 12 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Spartan Event #3

Next weekend is our Spartan Even #3! We will be doing a trail run/hike to Ramona Falls. Here's the plan:

1. 10AM: Meet at Chris and Sybil's house (36756 Katrina Street, Sandy Oregon 97055)
2. Carpool out to the Ramona Falls trailhead (http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Ramona_Falls_Trailhead)
3. Hike to Ramona Falls (7 mi. round-trip) (http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Ramona_Falls_Hike)
4. Lunch at Wraptitude in Welches (http://wraptitude.com/) 

Remember - this one is adults only! See you there!

What to Prep For

Here are a couple videos from last year's Spartan Sprint in Washougal. As you can see, it's a motocross track with lots of up and down, and I think we will be glad for the mud to cool off in! If they can do it, we can do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLnSgAffSmA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyNUSgKnWk0

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Your Cardiio snapshot

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 142 days, 6 hours, 18 minutes

My bus run has grown to 1.25 mi/day, with a good hill on the last leg. I've noticed that my post-run cough is completely gone.

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 4 months, 25 days, 4 hours, 53 minutes, 31 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Quote for today

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
― G.K. Chesterton

Thanks to Tim Ferris for that quote.

14 pull-ups yesterday, a new PR. We enjoyed a family bike ride. I think that is a first ever!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Bits of fitness

Yesterday's to and from the bus included:
A brisk morning 0.5 mile in 3:48 (7:40 pace)
0.3 in 2:29 to beat the bus to work
A 0.14 mile sprint to the bus (it was really a downpour!)
0.4 back up the hill to home.
1.34 total. I noticed that I didn't really feel winded.

13 consecutive pull-ups PR on Tuesday.


To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Goal PR

12 consecutive hanging pull-ups today. My goal is 25 by June 1.

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Countdown: Spartan Race

Time is going by quickly! We are down to less than 6 months to race day! Three months have gone past since Sarah and I signed up, and we are not 1/3 of the way to ready!

I think for a lot of us the initial excitement has waned a bit. This is the time to make fitness into a habit! Keep working out. We are in this together!

It helps me to sit down and write out some concrete goals. For me, I want to be able to run 4 miles in 35 minutes by June 1 (without permanent injury). Be specific. Then decide what your strategy is, execute, record your progress over time, and make sure you are on track to meet your goals.

Spartan up!

Spartan Training

I started a 30 day circuit workout, repeat 3x with a 60 second break between ...10 jump lunges, 10 burpees, 10 jump squats, 20 mountain climbers, 20 calf raises, 20 hydrants (each side), 30 Russian twists, 30 jumping jacks, 20 high knees, 60 second planks.....repeat

Sybil

Spartan Training

Chris and Sybil just finished jogging stairs (Sunday) 810 steps up and 810 stairs down!  This time I double checked the accuracy ;)

Welcome and Check Your Calendars

Taryn and Dan have officially signed up for the race! Yesterday Taryn joined Sarah and me for a C25K training at the track. Welcome!

The next Spartan Team activity will be Saturday, March 11. Please check your calendars! Cody and Chris will be planning a family event. Swimming has been mentioned...

We haven't chosen a date in April yet, but Sybil and Chris will be planning something for adults only then. A trail run has been suggested. Bagby? The falls trail in the Gorge? Get ready!

Trail running shoes are recommended for the Spartan Race, and make a big difference! The Merrell outlet in Woodburn is having a pretty incredible sale right now, if you like minimal shoes. (I personally need a lot more support and cushion for my flat feet.) Specifically, about 50% of regular price, which means quite a few trail shoes in the $50-$65 range. If that doesn't work for you, there are a few other shoe stores there, although my best success has been ordering a few pairs from Runner's Warehouse or RoadRunner Sports to try around the house and on the treadmill, then sending back all but my favorites.

Need a little inspiration? Check out 10 Senior Citizens in Better Shape than You!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 174 days, 4 hours, 45 minutes, 54 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Spartan Training

Chris and Sybil

We went for a 7 mile run tonight (Friday) and got hit with some good size hail along the way!

Test posting from Alesia

Does stress induced weight loss count as exercise? Lol

Fwd: Blog

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chris <chrisalewis81@gmail.com>
Date: February 24, 2017 at 10:03:00 AM PST
To: djrmoose.couchtospartan2017@blogspot.com
Subject: Blog

Starting to finally feel back to normal from my 3 weeks of being sick and not really wanting to workout much. I was able to hit the gym 2 times this week and let me tell you I could really feel the hit from taking time off. Next week Monday I'm starting a new routine called Bigger Faster Stronger. I did it in high school many moons ago and really liked it. It's an 8 week program, here is the routine.

Month 1
Week 1 3x3
Week 2 5x5
Week 3 5,4,3,2,1
Week 4 10-8-6 for bench and squat, and 6,4,2 for cleans and dead lift.

Month 2 repeat month 1

Monday
- Bench
- Parallel squat
- Aux. lift (you can substitute lifts in here to meet your goals. Say if you want stronger lats, do some lat pull downs.)
- Aux lift

Wednesday
- Deadlifts
- Cleans
- Aux lift
- Aux lift

Friday
-Towel bench
- Box squat
- Aux lift
- Aux lift

Some auxiliary lifts include:
- triceps pull downs
- bicep curls
- leg cures
- leg extensions
- weighted lunges
- straight leg deadlift
- neck exercises
- an exercises
- Ect.

This is a great routine and it doesn't take very much time each day. I have found that lifting weights not only makes you feel better but also gives you way more endurance when running. - Chris



Sent from my iPhone

Spartan WOD

Whew! Wednesday's Spartan WOD kicked my keister! (I should have done Thursday's) Have you tried the official Spartan Workout of the Day yet?

Home Decor

The living room is trying to turn into a gym...

Your Cardiio snapshot

Getting closer!

Running together

Sarah and I set a new PR today on our C25K program: 2.21 mi., 28:47, 13:01 min/mile.


To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Countdown: Spartan Race

190 days left!

Countdown: Spartan Race: 190 days, 6 hours, 2 minutes, 1 second

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 194 days, 14 hours, 31 minutes, 31 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Your Cardiio snapshot

This is about 7 BPM higher than recent average. I hope this is accounted for by the somewhat heavy dinner and being a bit sore (body in repair mode), but I was feeling quite run down before bed last night. In the past, a spike in RHR means I'm getting sick. I will plan to take it easy today and do what I can to boost my immune system.

What I Did This Morning

Awake at 5:10 with a headache. Sleep Cycle gives me 82% quality and 7:31 in bed.
Alarm at 5:15. Measured RHR is 67. A bit high. I might be fighting something off.

Drowsing and thinking about the day until out of bed at 5:45 (oops).

2 cups of water.

Approx. 7 minutes of rotator-cuff rehab exercise (2 circuits at 15 reps).

4 full-hang pull-ups.

10 squats and 5 lunges with each leg with 40lb wood pellets on my shoulders.

Breakfast: 1 Banana and 1 serving of fairly healthy cereal with milk - 357 calories.

Vitamins: D3, B12, 1000Mg C

Jog to the bus (mostly downhill) 0.5 miles at an 8:07/mile pace.

Sitting without using the seatback on the bus for a bit of core exercise.
Listening to Podcasts:

• The World View in 5 Minutes
• FOX News Radio Newscast
• Grace Gems
• Get-Fit Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Slim Down and Shape Up
• Sports Motivation Podcast - Get Ya Mind Right Monday #7: Thank God for Adversity

Off at the next to last stop for a second 0.3 miles at a 9:29/mile pace (and a bit earlier to work!).

Now I'm sitting... hmmm. When I go to the coffee pot I will run up and down the stairs :-)

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 200 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds

Exactly 200 days from now we will be eating breakfast on race day!

Your Cardiio snapshot

The King Will Kill You!

So as part of this adventure I've been tracking my food intake. Am I eating enough protein or too many sugars? I'm using the MyFitnessPal app to do it, and although it's another time investment, the results are interesting.

Last night we were out and about and had a gift card that we needed to use, so we stopped at Burger King for dinner. This is (thankfully) a very rare event, but all fast food may become even more rare after what I learned.

I ordered a good-sized, but not unreasonable meal, and shared with Sarah. Here's what I had:

• BBQ Bacon King (that's a double-patty burger, so it's on the large end of the scale)
• Half a medium chocolate/Oreo shake (Sarah loves shakes, and it's a rare treat)
• Half of the medium fries, dipped in "fry sauce" or "buffalo sauce"
• Two chicken nuggets
• Five chicken "fries" (Abby decided her meal was too spicy, so I helped out)
• Water to drink (I'm taking all the credit I can get for this one!)

When I finished, I was comfortable, and didn't feel like I was over-eating. However, when I got home and entered my meal in my app, I was amazed! My job keeps me pretty sedentary, and I'm only 5'6". I've also got 16-17% body fat I'd like to reduce to 11%. We didn't log any exercise yesterday, so with all of these factors in mind, MyFitnessPal recommended 1,650 calories for the day.

My average breakfast is between 250 and 400, average lunch about 300, which I usually cap off with a few snacks (200) and 700 calorie dinner to get pretty close. This doesn't leave me hungry or tired, and if that fat gets burned at all, it isn't much.

Yesterday I was on track for a normal day... until we had dinner! That bout of fast food weighed in at a whopping (pun intended) 1,781 calories! I could have easily had another burger, or finished one of the kid's meals, and gone well over 2,000. The crazy part is, this didn't feel like a particularly large meal, but the content of the meal really changes things a lot. MyFitnessPal estimated that if I eat regularly like I did yesterday (pretty healthy other than a fast-food dinner), I will gain over a pound (of fat) each week!

Am I going to give up burgers and fries now? Absolutely not! I love switching things up and going somewhere with a "play place" on occasion. But oddly enough, really good food not only tastes better, but tends to be better for you, and although it might be "different," not many people are going to try to tell you that Burger King is fine dining.  This is the strongest reminder I've had yet to be mindful of what I'm eating, and to enjoy every bite. I want to be intentional when I choose my food, and not just eat something because it's convenient or because it's there.

Time to make breakfast...

Steep Curve - Gear

I don't think we are out of it just yet, but we are discovering that there is a fairly steep learning curve when it comes to buying shoes and clothes for fitness. A few months ago I never would have suspected the plethora of options and the range of prices that we are trying to navigate.

Shoes have been one of the biggest purchases so far, and yesterday we made another foray into the world of specialty running shoes. You can learn about running shoes from the Runner's World website, but our best learning has come from talking to people.

A friend from work is a shoe tester, has run several Spartans, and plans to do the Spartan Trifecta this year. His advice was to get trail running shoes, even though we have found that this is a much smaller subset of the shoes that are available. He looked at my broken-down ten year old cross trainers and said, "you're going to kill yourself in those." His advice was to have lots of traction. It might pick up mud, but it's very useful on the uphill gravel parts of the race and for getting a grip on obstacles. To keep a waterlogged shoe from weighing you down, the upper needs to be light and drain well. Padding is just going to soak up water. He also reiterated what the Internet will tell you: get synthetic socks. It's pretty easy to understand this when you think about squelching a few miles in your favorite padded cotton socks!

The most knowledgeable salespeople we encountered were at Road Runner Sports. They let us run on a treadmill, then analyzed a slow motion video of how our feet were striking. Sarah's normal arches and gait gave her a wider selection to choose from (although her narrow foot again limited her options). My very flat right foot causes fairly heavy "pronation," which means my ankle rolls in very significantly every time my foot hits the ground. This points toward "support" shoes, which have features to reduce this. The most standard feature seems to be a "medial post," which simply means there is a fairly hard and tall piece of foam below my inner heels. Trail support shoes are rare indeed, with the stores we visited only carrying two or three models.

The next eye opener is length. We both have running shoes a whole size larger than all of our other shoes. I read that you toes should be able to play the piano in the toe box, and that you need a thumb-width of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Also (not news to me, since mom and dad owned a shoe store back in the day), most individuals have a larger and smaller foot. The right is usually larger. Be sure you are fitting to your larger foot. A good salesperson will measure both length and width of both of your feet and give you a size that will probably sound way too big. This was the mistake I made when ordering online. The shoes I got were simply a size too small.

Another hurdle is price. Running shoes average price, either online or in the store, seems to be over $100. Buying last year's models, clearance, returns, and display models can reduce the price, but it is still high. Although the end price for the shoes at Road Runner seemed to be pretty good, it was difficult to navigate the many different upsell ($75 custom insoles?) and VIP programs to understand what was happening. Apparently we were shopping during a fairly good sale, so your mileage may vary.

We paid for our learning. If you know what you are shopping for you can get some great deals online or at outlets. Nordstrom Rack had some deeply discounted trail running shoes as well. Campmor was recommended for online discounts, and in the Portland area there are at least Nike and Pearl Izumi outlets.

Back to shopping... Although the shoes are the biggest single investment, clothing is adding up as well. Running any distance in jeans just doesn't cut it, and my high school athletic shorts are so long gone that I don't even need to question their style or fabric technology. It's going to be hot and cold and it is certainly going to rain. Spartan racers recommend close-fitting synthetics that won't hold on to moisture for everything from shirts to bras and boxers. The good news is that every clothing store seems to carry fitness apparel these days, so deals are certainly available for the savvy shopper. However, understanding the difference between proprietary fabric A and super fabric B, and whether compression this or elite-fit that is worth the price is still far beyond my abilities. Regardless, the price for fitness clothing is higher than for your daily cotton, so we will certainly pay the price (in both time and money) while we continue to learn.

Overall, it's a bit painful for a frugal guy like me to make this transition, but when I realize that this is an investment in not only gear, but in a healthier lifestyle, I think the price is worth it. We are spending time around places and people that are going to encourage us to be better and fitter, and the monetary cost gives us more "skin in the game," making it even more likely that we will carry this through. Lastly, when I think of the difference that this might make in our kid's perspective on exercise, I think we are really doing the right thing. "No pain, no gain," right?

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Your Cardiio snapshot

Feeling way too busy, and learning to trust God with my time by putting Him first.

My shoulder went out very unexpectedly yesterday. It's a huge reminder that I need to do my therapy exercises for it.

Not a lot of exercise yesterday, but a sprint from the pet store to the bus actually felt good, and I am hoping for a lot of benefit after listening to the first half of this podcast:

http://tim.blog/2017/01/23/the-one-minute-workout-designed-by-scientists-dr-martin-gibala/

It's a very in-depth discussion about the benefits of high intensity intervals.

First Spartan Team Event

Saturday, February 18th, 5PM

Bouldering at The Circuit and dinner afterward.

thecircuitgym.com/tigard

Also, save the date for Spartan Team Event #2, March 11.

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 207 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 40 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Your Cardiio snapshot

Coming down! I can't remember the last time my Resting Heart Rate was this low.

Stride analysis

Stride analysis at Road Runner Sports:

Mild pronation on the left, where I do have a bit of an arch, and heavy pronation on my flat right foot. The verdict: stability shoes highly recommended.

I also learned how to use the last lace holes on the shoe to lock my heel in place a bit better.

Overall, a great learning experience. Cons: The upsell on the expensive custom insoles (probably going back) and the standard sock liner insoles being left out of the box (probably an accident, since they were closing the store and ready to get going.) Its also a long trip to Tualatin.

I prefer the online experience of getting to wear the shoe around the house all day. I plan to do the same with these. They do have a similar return policy. It was a great learning experience though.

My Sleep Cycle statistics

Almost 8! It might take some time to catch up. 

Analysis by Sleep Cycle for iPhone. http://sleepcycle.com/get

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

A few miles

Sarah and I started the C25K program today, GPS tracked with Runkeeper. I also found a new route to and from the bus stop that is exactly half a mile. All told, I walked and ran over 3 miles today total, and Sarah got in almost 2. My ankle is a bit grumpy about it, but the rest of me is happy!

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Your Cardiio snapshot

Slow progress, if any, on RHR so far. Yesterday evening we did a playful arms and shoulders workout with the dumbbells and pull up rack. Time is the biggest inhibition to exercise now.

I got in a good 1/2 mile run to the bus stop. I noticed mild pain again in my right hamstring, and am wondering what I need to do to help it heal. My feet were weak of course, but overall the run felt good.

Unfortunately I ate pretty poorly, but still managed to keep my portions controlled.

7:40 sleeping, aiming for 8:00.

My Sleep Cycle statistics

With my alarm not going off, a few extra chores thrown in, and back to AWANAs, there wasn't time for exercise, but I'll call 7.5 hours enough sleep at least (if less than ideal).  It's a good foundation. I did spend a few minutes on my break to sweep out the empty room at work that I hope to use for quick workouts. 

The snow and ice has all but disappeared and the kids are finally back to school. I'm ready for a little routine that includes exercise!

Analysis by Sleep Cycle for iPhone. http://sleepcycle.com/get

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Running again!

I jogged up and down the hill to the bus stop yesterday, and am just a tiny bit sore today. I ran through the rain a bit today (but not the hill), and didn't hurt at all. It's so nice to be able to run again!

Now if I could just get some shoes! I sent the three pairs back to Runners Warehouse today. I will probably order again when they get returned, but am thinking of taking Izak's recommendation and getting my stride checked in the meantime.

To do is to dare; to fear is to fail.

Countdown: Spartan Race

Countdown: Spartan Race: 215 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes, 34 seconds

http://countdownstar.com

Your Cardiio snapshot

My goal is to get my resting heart rate below 60.

A few links...

Interesting ideas about "natural" exercise - https://www.movnat.com/

Parkour? http://www.rvpkbeaverton.com/

Bouldering? http://thecircuitgym.com/

 

 

To do is to dare, to fear is to fail.

 

Running Shoes

I ordered running shoes from RunnersWarehouse.com, but will have to return all three pairs. I'm sad about these, but they were just a bit too small. Running shoes should have plenty of toe space!

A few changes to the blog...

The blog address has been changed to EFBCSpartans.blogspot.com and the entire team has been invited to post on it! Hear ye, hear ye!

Come to the dark side...

Nooooo! Thanks Abby..,