Charting progress

Up and to the right!

That is how we all want life to go. We want the dips that do happen to be as short and shallow as possible before we return to a steep clime indicating our success. Sadly that is just not the way life works out most of the time.  In fact I don't think that is how it suppose to work for most people.

What I have found is the best tool to keep progress coming is a little adversity.  If things are to easy the human condition is to get complacent. It may take week or a month and for those most motivated a few months.  However eventually we all tend to sit back and think we can coast to victory.

One morning while have a small group discussion mostly about personal growth and development one of the group members proposed a great visual.  We talked about it a while and made some changes and now it how I like to describe how most people experience success.  These truths apply to everything we encounter.  Educational growth, spiritual growth, fitness, business success these rules apply to them all.

The first truth of the discussion is standing still is impossible.  I like to think of it as walking against the current in a wide, but shallow river.  The water pushes hard against you all the time.  Water takes the form of temptation, distractions, false rewards and so many other things.  You will find that if you keep moving, even against the toughest current, you can quickly get to where you are going.  However, if you decide to take a break and just stand still you will soon find that are are losing ground.  Perhaps just a bit, but you are moving backwards.  The rule is simple, if you are not making an effort to move forward, then you will be going backwards.

With that rule in mind here is the picture that developed. Life is like tracking the path of a yo-yo being played with by a person walking up a very slowly moving down elevator.  In general the yo-yo stay in a zone between the chest and the knees.  Some times the use will lose track and let it unwind.  this will cause to drop lower then normal.  Other times you are full of energy and you are spinning it out vertically and it stay up there near your shoulders for a while.  This is certain to make our growth curve look great, for a while.  Just when you get the yo-yo under control you will take a tumble on the escalator and down you go.  Down to the steps, yo-yo on the ground and everything moving down and to the left.  It may only take a few minutes to get back on your feet and moving again, or it may take a month.

So success requires a lot of factors to be managed.  We have to keep moving against the flow of the down escalator.  We have to keep the yo-yo moving, and hopefully not dipping to low before snapping back to the top.

My personal journey of getting to a healthy weight has been anything but linear.  I drop down and then gain some back, and then drop, and then maybe gain more then I lost.  but since 2010 my lows have gotten progressively lower, and my highs are not as high.  More importantly the periods of gaining are shorter and then I return to making positive progress towards my goals.  I think this is how success looks.  Every day we get a little higher up the stairs, and when we slip, we look for a way to recover and get moving again. 

Together we can all keep moving up and to the right.

Truth and Transformation!

David

Be Perfect

Tonight's message is a continuation of "Starting vs Finishing".  I almost titled this one "Finishing vs Winning" but as I thought about what I wanted to say my mind kept going back to a couple scenes in a great moving and "Be Perfect" was just the better message.

So to start with lets talk about what it means to be perfect.  No man or woman will ever be perfect.  But we can all experience that perfect moment, or perfect season of life.  Sometimes it is referred to as the flow state.  It is a time when we exceed not only our own expectations, but in many cases we extend our absolute potential to a new level.  It often does not last long, but it can be achieved.

Perfect in this life is not about winning, achieving or possessing.  It is about being all that you can be.  It is about doing more then you probably think you can to start with.  I think the lesson of what it means to be perfect is summed up pretty well in this clip.

Can you be Perfect?  If you are in the LHRL GoalGetter challenge that means can you give it your best effort every day, for 6 months?  Some workouts will not be PRs.  Some runs will turn into shuffles.  But it is the daily effort that makes up Perfection.  In the end it is the accumulation of all the efforts over a lifetime that truly count.  

Truth and Transformation!

David

Starting vs Finishing

Starting is easy.

Sometimes it is so easy that starting is all we do, over and over.  But finishing is a different discussion.

We live in a culture that has access to nearly anything it could need, or even want.  If you get it and decide you don't like it you can always sell it to the next guy and move on to the next thing.  We can just start, again.

Want to get in shape. Start Monday.  Tired of that new diet or workout plan by Thursday, well that's ok.  It probably wasn't the right one for you.  Take some time, find a new one and start again, maybe next month.  It is so easy to accept less then we want in our results because we tell ourselves we can just start again.  But instead of seeing it through we quit, and then start again.

The difference between starting and finishing hit me in 2008 when I ran my first half marathon.  About 5 month before the event I signed up and paid my fee.  I spend the next several month doing everything I could with my limited knowledge but supportive friend to get myself ready.  The day before the race arrived and I went to the hotel to pick up my packet.  Along with my race bib and other cool swag was my Long sleeve technical Race t-shirt.  Their it was right in my hands.

the next day I hit the course and pounded out my first 13.1 in just a shade over 2 hours.  As I crossed the finish line they cut the chip off my shoes and someone reached out and handed me a hat and a medal.  The hat said 2008 Go St. Louis Finisher.  I got back to my hotel and pulled out the shirt from the previous night.  Same logos, same date, same color scheme.. but it didn't have the word finisher on it anywhere.  It was a starter shirt.  To "earn" that shirt all I had to do was pay and pick it up.  I didn't even have to train if I didn't want to.  Starting, in this case, was just a quick financial investment and didn't require anything else from me.  But finishing that 13 miles in 2 hours with my 230 pound frame... that required something more.

As the #Goalgetter challenge is set to start tomorrow we see some people in the same place.  They took a step to "start" by signing up.  However with just hours to go they risk being gonged out on day one because they have not yet submitted a video.  I Hope they all get those video's in today.  I hope every person that signed up gets started, and I hope every starter finishes.

Not every day of the challenge will go as planned, and perhaps not every goal will be met.  But that is not really important to finishing.  Sure we all want to "win".  We all want to meet every goal, maybe early, and experience the perfect 6 month challenge.  However Finishing is about the effort much more then the result.  Results will come, even if they take a little bit longer then 6 months.  Quitting is what we have to defend against.  Every day we will strive to move forward, but some days we will slide backwards.  We may fail to meet our own expectations for a workout, or a week of workouts.  But that doesn't mean we have forfeited the finish. Get back up!  Take the next step and you are still working, still progressing towards finishing.

A favorite passage of Scripture come from Hebrews chapter 12, it reminds us how we are to compete.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

A busy work schedule, a surprise trip out of town, an injury that we just don't have time for are some of the weights that cling to us.  We have to face them with confidence knowing that together this group can endure.  Just like gutting out a tough workout or a long run, together we can support one another and endure the challenge.  Great achievements are ahead of us, we just keep our eyes on the prize and keep moving forward.

Be a finisher.

Truth and Transformation!

David

Truth: America's Modern Day Coliseums

Tonight's Blog is going to be more on the Truth side of things and less about Transformation.

This morning someone posted this picture:

I usually try to scroll by, maybe click a quick like and then move on to avoid being sucked into the dangerous world of the interwebs.  But this morning, perhaps because I had less sleep then normal, I not only shared it but I added a comment:

How did Rome drag out the fall and milk the population dry? by distracting them at the coliseum. As in pro sports, movies, reality tv... get the picture yet?

This is something I have been saying for a few years now as I see America descending down the path of Rome and every other great civilization.  This post is not about the reason for the decline.  I don't want to talk about which political view is right or wrong, or what group is "ruining" America.
What I want to focus on is what both sides are doing to keep us distracted to allow themselves to get away with the destruction they are causing.  From the founding Fathers, to visiting dignitaries, to recent presidents we have been warmed over and over that American can never be beaten from without, but only from within can our strength and resolve be destroyed.  How does that happen, when we have been warned so many times?  Because we are not looking.

Just as Rome built a giant stadium and found ever greater means of entertaining and distracting the people with it, we to are being deceived.  We are not yet fighting battles to the death, or pitting slave gladiators against all manner of beast, but we are bombarded with an endless supply of distractions.

Professional sports.  How the war will rage on the facebooks about this team is better then that team.  Or this athlete is the greatest ever.  Does it matter?  Will a regular season win, or even a championship change one thing in your life?  Hardly.  But we battle on, doing nothing really except devoting our time and energy.

Reality TV.  How many ladies can that dude get to make out with him before he eliminates them one by one?  How hard can those trainers work those poor people without killing them?  Maybe if instead we pursued real reality relationships with the people around us, perhaps even our familes we would not feel so empty.  Maybe if we got up and just moved ourselves we would have the energy to face the work day and then spend time doing things we like instead of just crashing for the evening.
Movies.  What are they telling us.  What influences and messages do they give our families and children that we may not even notice.  What are they costing us, and how lavishly those in the movies are treated,but at what value to the rest of society.  I guess the answer is simple: "Are you Not Entertained".

We are entertained, distracted, uninterested in the decay all around us.  Corruption exists on all sides.  And they are getting fat off us.  Like all parasites, they know they are kiling the host but they hope they can keep us distracted long enough for themselves to step away and live comfortable while we try and pick up the pieces.

I challenge you to look around.  What is right in the world, and what is going wrong?  What can you do about it if you took the time and made it a priority to make changes for the better?  We can recover, we can Transform into a strong nation that does the right thing for its citizens and is a positive influence for the world.  But not if we keep returning to the coliseum to watch the show, and ignore what is happening around us.

Truth and Transformation!

David

The Thrill of Helping others

Tonight was an amazing night of Middle School track.  For one thing my boys, 6th grade and 8th grade, each got first in their age group for Pole Vault.  I love to see them do well.

But more significant than them winning was what happened with some of the other athletes.  Tonight we had several 6th graders, and two 7th graders jump for the first time this season.  Some of them have been practicing for a couple weeks, while a couple have had only 1 or 2 practices but still had the courage to compete tonight.  I was so proud to see them step out.

I guess I should explain a little.  I am not a pole vaulter.  I was not even on the track team in High School.  My 8th grader has been vaulting since 6th grade and their was not a dedicated coach for the event.  I started trying to learn enough to help a little, and quickly realized how technically challenging the event was.  So I had to step up my game.  instead of just watching videos I turned to books, videos, conversations with coaches, anything I could find to help me be able to help them.  I am a coach by nature.  I was born to teach.  But I am not a teacher by profession either.  I do coach K - 8th Grade wrestling and have done so for 9 years.  Before that, while in college I assisted with the high school wrestling team.  So while I am not a pole vaulter, I am a coach.  So watching these young athletes push their limits tonight was amazing.

Most notably from our team was a young lady who has practice with us 2 times.  The first time she only did drills in the grass and never even stepped onto the runway or jumped onto the pit.  Last night, at her second practices, she tentatively ran from less then 30 feet away and over time built up her confidence.  Tonight at the meet she started at that same 30 feet, but quickly moved back to 45 as her confidence built and she let loose and ran full speed.  The result?  She cleared 6ft 6 inches, higher then any other girl at the meet (there were 7 total) including 2 8th grade vaulters.  So not only did she log a 6'6" Pr at her very first meet, but that height is just 3 inches short of a qualifying for the state tournament at the end of May.

Something else happened as well.  During the check in process I asked the 2 eight grade vaulters where they wanted to start.  One of the said "5 foot please,  still have not cleared 5'6" yet".  So 5 foot it was.  Both 8th graders cleared it so on to 5'6", and again both cleared it.  She was excited for her new PR.  Next 5'8" and another PR.  Now the nerve are setting in.  She has never been this close to 6 ft.  She needs to get higher up her pole, she may want to adjust her start to get a longer run.  She is getting nervous and has not coach for support, so she ask me what I think she should do.  We talk a few seconds as other jumpers compete and she makes some adjustments.  A few jumps later she has a new 6ft PR.  from 5ft to 6 ft in one night.  I know I did not teach her anything new tonight.  But I think I did help her stay calm and work through the excitement and anxiety of her success.  We worked together just enough for her to go home feeling like she had achieved a great PR, and she had.

Track meet over, take the boys out to eat, head out of town town for a quick errand.  I am overjoyed.  All the 6th graders did outstanding for their first meet.  The 7th grade femail jumper far exceeded her own expectations and I think is hooked on Pole Vault.  And a young lady from the other side of the county rode the bus home knowing she was no longer stuck at 5 foot.  I was so excited.  I felt like I was a champion just because I had a small chance to in their success.  And that is what all this rambling post is about.  The way helping others lifts us up as well.

If the story ended there it would be enough, but there is more.  After my errand I sat down at the computer to make a video or two for social media, and while cutting and slicing the dead spaces between jumps I heard this:

I do not have words to express how it makes me feel to know that my boys see me doing things to help others and take notice.  We go through life as parents hoping some things go well and that it all works out.  But hearing that they notice is humbling.  Character is caught not taught, and I hope they are catching the best of me.

So here is the bottom line.  Their is no better way to elevate yourself then by elevating those around your.  I think that is what #GOALGETTER is all about.  I am extremely excited to be in this challenge.  I know I am far away from Mississippi where the challenge is based, but I feel like I have been welcomed into the family as part of the challenge.  I want to Succeed.  I want to do anything I can along the way to help others succeed as well.  That is what causes Transformation.

Truth and Transformation!

David

Plan for the #GOALGETTER Challenge

In this post I am going to capture some philosophy level information about my training and nutrition plan for the 6 month #GOALGETTER challenge.  I will also be getting into the details a bit looking at high level training blocks and what to expect for the next 6 months and beyond.

For my nutrition I have embraced the idea of Paleo or Primal eating and becoming a "fat adapted" athlete or "fat Burning Machine".  I see the effects of sugar on my body.  I have read and experimented enough to know sugar and carbs are not my friend.  For example I can drink salt water, or avoid all salt and see little change in my BP, but 2 weeks grain and process carb free (no carb free, just junk free) I see a 20 point drop in BP. I have been pulling information primarily from Rob Wolf, Mark Sisson and Abel James, also a few others as well via podcasts.  -sidebar: most of my walks with the dog are spent listening to podcasts instead of music, I find it has exposed me to a lot more information then I could ever have time to read.

For my training I am taking a lot of input from Alex Viada, Brian Mackenzie, Travis Mash, and Mark Sisson, as well as others.  (again podcasts have opened up a lot of new information streams during time I use to listen to the same songs over and over)  From all this information about endurance sports as well as strength sports and general fitness I have formulated some new theories.  I have also been putting them to work in bite size trials.

In the past I have been EXTREMELY regimented.  For example for last years idea of running 43 mile trip with a friend for his 43rd birthday I created a 16 month training schedule.  From base building all the way race day.  Every workout.  Miles.  Target pace once we got to track intervals in month 5.  Every detail.  Then he got injured, I got busy, the plan had no room for life, and we will not be making that run...

This time I am embracing some new thinking.  Training needs to come in phases and cycles.  Within those phases training sessions need to be vary based on day to day factors, not a set schedule.  Need a week off for an injury, the cycles can handle micro-deviation without the need to start over.  I am also taking on a new understanding of "base building"  always before that meant some basic (probably slow) miles, before beginning to ramp up the volume (10% or less per week).  Now I am thinking about base as base fitness level, base aerobic capacity.

So my cycles will be:

1. Aerobic base building
2. High Intensity / Competition
3. recover/Aerobic base restoration
• repeat 2 and 3 for a few cycles
4. Rest

So for #GOALGETTER the plan looks like this:

Aerobic base May 1 - July 31, 13 weeks

High Intensity August 1 - August 21, 3 weeks

recover August 22 - September 4, 2 weeks

Aerobic base Sept 5 - October 2, 4 weeks

Taper  October 3 - October 14, 1 week

Competition October 15 - October 31, 2 weeks

Winter Rest November 1 - January 15, 11 Weeks

Aerobic Base Jan 16 - 

...

So what do those categories mean?

Aerobic base means every workout: Run outside, walk the dog, bike ride, lifting, etc is in HR range 108 - 140.

High Intensity / Competition means hard workouts or race events.  Track sprints, Tempo paced long runs.  Higher intensity but reduced volume.

Recover is returning to lower intensity 108-140 heart rate workouts, and maintaining the reduced volume.

Winter rest, LOW intensity and LOW volume.

That's my plan on the big picture.  Within those dates workouts will vary but always fall into the guidelines of the current cycle.

Truth and Transformation!

David

Starting again #GOALGETTER challenge goals & reasons

This post will be about a new challenge that I am entering starting May 1.  I will post another blog talking about what happen from last September until now, but this post will be about the future.

Last week I came across a post on the website LiftHeavyRunLong.com #LHRL about a 6 month challenge, the #GOALGETTER challenge, that they are launching May 1.  Six month is not your typical challenge.  In my mind I thought that is going to create a real lifestyle change, instead of just a 12 week hard grind followed by a return to "before".  #LHRL is not a huge organization like Bodybuilding.com or Body For Life, so the challenge was most likely going to be small.  It sounded like it would provide some real accountability and encouragement unlike these massive challenges.

So late last weekend I followed the instructions and submitted my application video.  Yep a video, and the challenge requires a weekly video update from all participants or they get Gonged Out.  So far I think the challenge has < 30 people who have entered.  I am sure once the official start date hits we will get a full list.

I am really excited about being part of a small, goal driven community.  It seems like it could become a team environment, something that I have not found in the local gym.

For the challenge application each person has to introduce themselves and set a few goals.  The grand prize if $500, but the real prize is the lifechange that would happen if I complete a 6 month challenge.  Weight loss, strength gains, and other athletic pursuits are truly secondary to achieving a health and fitness level that promotes longevity.  Since everyone has different types of goals I have no idea how they will decide who wins the $500, but honestly it doesn't really matter.

So here were my goals:

1. Complete a 50k trail run (October 15th, Ondessonk Trail race)
2. Deadlift 500 # bare handed (no straps)
3. Pole Vault 8ft

I realize these goals cover a pretty wide range of topics, and are not things that typically go together.  I think that is part of the draw.  #LHRL is a website that represents a community of people who want to do 2 things that are not typically put together.  They want to lift heavy weights, which means they want to be strong, muscular people.  They also want to participate and compete in long duration endurance events.  These are two things that I have always thought should be put together more often and I am excited to put them together in my life.

So why run a 50K?  I think it is about taking full control of who I am.  Building a higher level of fitness.  Creating strong legs.  Building a mental toughness that can continue to work when the challenge gets great.  I have tried (with little success) to run half and and full marathons.  I didn't get the results I wanted.  I never got fast, and I never got lean.  With this 50K my goal is to hold a 12-13 MPH pace.  That is WAY slower then I ever wanted to run a marathon in.  But by adding in the trail component instead of streets and making it longer I believe that pace goal will be a sufficient challent to improve my total fitness, create leanness, and make me faster when I set out for a miler or a 5K.  My finish time goal is 6 - 6.5 hours.

Deadlift 500 pounds.  Right now this would be a double body weight + 50# lift.  By the time we get to the end of the challenge this should be a 2.6 X body weight lift. (more about weigh goals in a minute) Why 500# you ask, well the answer is to be STRONG.  In 2014 I came close with a couple *successful attempts at 485.  You may have noticed the *.  That is because in 2014 I used straps, a lot.  This time I will be doing all my training with a Double Overhand grip, DOH.  Only on the heaviest sets on test days will I even switch to alternating grip.  So to meet this goal I am going to have to GROW my Grip strength.

Finally you may scratch your head and say, Who pole vaults?  The answer is my 2 middle school sons.  One is an 8th grader who started in 6th grade and the other is a 6th grader who officially started this year (with a little practice last year with his brother).  We are in a small area so middle school track practice is 2 teachers and about 100 students (maybe more) going in every direction.  Sixth grade pole vaulters get taught by the highly experienced 7th and 8th graders and occasionally a high school athlete.  So I started learning about vaulting.  What is the Technique, what drills and progressions exist, how do you organize them. I am a coach by nature so once I got some basics figured out we went to work.  My older son usually just does what I ask him.  My younger son is prone to say "can you do that?". The answer is no.  I have never pole vaulted in my life (unless you count using a tree branch to get over a creek).  Pole vault poles come with a weigh rating.  It is unwise to use a pole rated for less then your weight.  So there is no pole that I can even practice with.  So to meet goal number 3 I will have to get below 190 pound.  THEN, after getting to 190, I can stop talking about the techniques and start trying to do them myself.  Why 8 ft.?  Coming into this season I told my youngest that if he could get into the 7th range that would be a pretty good first year.  He has already cleared 8'3" one time, and it working hard to get consistent at  8ft and greater.  So if he can do it in one year, then I think that should be my goal as well.

That's it.  I know I am a long winded guy, so if you are still reading I thank you.  I plan to keep this up at least weekly.  Talking about Goals, strategy, process, training plans and progress.

Here is my official application video:

Truth and Transformation!

David

What happened to 2015?

Well that plan never took shape.  I could give several reasons for what went wrong (and some stuff that went right) but I won't.  The 43 mile challenge for spring of 2016 never took shape.  Neither Jeff or I were very consistent with our running and both of us faced some injuries and soreness.

Some good stuff did happen in 2016 as well.  I have had some personal growth in the last 6 months.  My understanding of fitness and nutrition have grown and evolved a great deal.  I have had some successful experiments improving my health with a couple approaches.  I have also had some successful relapses in order to have a chance to try a new approach.  One thing i really learned:

Growth is never linear.

education, health, weight reduction, spiritual growth... it does not matter what we talk about we will never be able to achieve continuous linear growth.  But each cycle we want to get a little higher up the scale, and we want each setback to be smaller and followed by a quicker recovery.

With this "new" knowledge I have been moving forward with confidence in 2016.

I have set some goals and discovered some approaches that are new to me for both training and nutrition.  I am feeling confident about my 41st year and setting the stage to be healthier going forward then I ever have been.

I am starting May by getting into a 6 month challenge.  I will tell you all about that in my next Post.

Truth and Transformation!

David