Killer Brick workout.

I had a day off from work yesterday, and my mom graciously came over and watched Noah for a few hours so that I could sneak away and get a ride and run in.  (Thanks Mom!)

I met Mark in our usual parking lot in South Park and was already dreading the insane level of heat and humidity for 10am in Pittsburgh.  (It was 76 and the humidity was actually causing my sunglasses to fog when I got out of the car).

We commenced warming up our legs cruising up and down Corrigan drive (2 miles end to end), followed by a large hill and out on to the local streets.  We rode for a little over an hour (1:05) and covered about 15.5 miles.  We had a few steep hills thrown in for good measure and I can honestly say that I probably would have hopped off (gasp! cardinal sin! I know) and walked had it not been for Mark barking at me from behind.  Once he could see that I would make the top of the hill he would find another level or stamina, mash the pedals and wait for me at the top.

Upon completion of the bike we took a minute to rehydrate and change out of our cycling gear and then went for a leisurely run.  We covered 2 miles in about seventeen and a half minutes.

For me the worst part of the brick workout is the beginning of the run after hopping off the bike.  I don't know if its a lack of blood flow to the muscles necessary for running or maybe a little dehydration but my calves always bark back at me.  Usually the seize up about 10 strides into the run forcing me to pull over and stretch them out.  Once I have that moment to stretch though they feel wonderful after that.

I came home to a happy baby boy and a pleased mother who got some quality time with her grandson!   I proceeded to feed Noah some lunch as he is now on soft solid foods.  The kid loves mandarin oranges, elbow mac, cheese, yogurt, and his corn crunchies.  It's such a joy to watch him feed himself because you can see the level of pride he gets from doing it himself.  He looks to me or Christine everytime he feeds himself for appreciation and it's adorable every time.  We are slowly adding more and more foods for him to try so that we can keep his menu as diverse as possible.

After Noah had lunch I whipped up some turkey burgers with light cheese, spinach and tomatoes on whole wheat buns for my mother and I.  It was a protein packed healthy lunch that really hit the spot after my intense workout.  We had a side of sweet potato chips with sea salt to add a little crunch to the meal as well.

I also owe the blog an 11 month update which I will post soon.  Noah hit 11 months last week and I have taken the pictures, but haven't had enough free time to develop the photos on lightroom.

Today was definitely a killer workout, and I am feeling it in my quads, calves, and hips but already looking forward to the next day I can get out on my bike.

Get out there and get fit, make the little changes you need to daily to improve your life!

Fitdad-MSBR Triathlon.

Fitdad-MSBR Triathlon.

No it's not what you think, there was no real race...there were no yellow jersey's, no finisher medals.  Today I spent my morning catching up with some friends from Texas.  I met up with Susan (of Momswimbikrun fame) and her husband George for a bike ride through the undulating hills of Mars/Valencia/Pine area.

We started at Pine Richland Highschool and rode one of George's favorite training routes around the area.  It was a hot but beautiful morning for a ride.  There were a great deal of other riders out on the roads as well.  It was nice to be in an area where road cycling is respected.  Cars gave us the (legally required) 4ft berth when passing us, no one honked, and we were able to focus on our ride.

I had a great time riding with them (13.8 miles..right Susan?) followed by 1.0 miles on the track at the high school to complete my run for the streak.

Afterwards we headed over to First watch in Cranberry for breakfast.  Christine and Noah drove up to meet us as well because the Tirch's have never met Noah.  Breakfast conversation was a nice way to catch up and share some fun stories about their time in Texas, I should have taken some pictures. (Facepalm).

So there you have it, the Fitdad-MSBR Triathlon (Bike, Run, EAT!!).

(As an aside note, I was unable to post my Saturday run online because we were at a wedding yesterday and I never had time.  Saturday's run was 3.8 miles on the treadmill).

Time to go watch the DVR of the Tour from this morning. (Stage one Liege to Seraing).

GO CANNONDALE LIQUIGAS!!

Also rooting for the rookie American on BMC Tejay Van Garderen

The 25 and 25.

I must apologize in advance for the lack of blog posts in the last few weeks, things have been hectic at work and at home so I have been lacking time to write.

If you are a regular reader of the blog you know that I have definitely plateaued in my weight loss since Noah was born.  Whether it was an actual plateau or a result of cheating and less exercising I am not sure.  I have been very diligent with the plan the last month and still no weight loss.  The week before Thanksgiving I decided to try a change-up in my workouts.  I had been trying to get 3 or 4 thirty minute workouts in each week.  Due to my work schedule and my daddy time with Noah (when Christine works).  I was struggling to consistently get those workouts in.  I decided I needed a way to get in similar calorie burning but maybe cut down the number of workouts per week to 2 or 3 instead of 3 or 4.

I have been rotating my workouts between cycling and running since I would like to try to do a Sprint and or Olympic Triathlon next year.  I get bored very easily on the bike trainer and the treadmill, I would so much rather be outside.  But, since I am home alone with Noah one to two days a week it's not good parenting to leave the house while he is napping.  So I am relegated to the confines of the game room and the indoor workout.

In an effort to quell my boredom I decided to try a workout that I call the 25 and 25.  I put Noah down in his crib for his morning nap (about 2 hours usually).  I grab the baby monitor and head downstairs for my workout.  I usually start off on the bike for 5 minutes at a really light pace and resistance to get my blood flowing.  Then I shift to a higher gear and ramp up the intensity.  I ride for 25 minutes at varying intensity adjusting my cadence as my legs begin to burn.  As soon as I finish the 25 minute pedaling session, I immediately swap my cycling shoes for my running shoes, hop onto the treadmill and begin to run.  I usually crank the speed up on the treadmill to 7 or 7.5mph and adjust the speed and incline during the run as my legs fatigue.  I will occasionally ramp up the speed to as high as 8mph or higher if I am feeling really good.  After my 25 minutes on the treadmill (about 2.75-3 miles) I cool down walking for 5 minutes.  That gives me a 1 hour workout and usually enough time to run upstairs and shower before the boy wakes up from his nap.    I do this workout a maximum of twice per week, with the 3rd workout day rotating between a run or biking or a bodyweight resistance style workout.

Since starting this plan 2 weeks ago I am back on the weight loss train.  The first week I was able to shed about 0.6lb.  The second week (Thanksgiving) I was able to shed an additional 0.5lb.  I am hoping this trend continues as we head into the holiday party season.  Making sure that I watch what I eat during the holiday parties is going to be a real challenge...

Thanks for reading, check back later there may be a second post today because I was camera happy with Noah yesterday!

longest ride yet.

In keeping with my workout routine, I sometimes feel like I have to make up for missed exercise days with an extended workout.  I haven't been on the bike in about a week and was feeling the itch to really get out and ride.  I gave my friend Mark a call and he was definitely in for a longer ride since we skipped our last ride for pancakes and time with our wives and kids.

I have been under the weather the last 4 or 5 days with a mild chest cold so I was curious as to how my lungs would hold up.  I must say that there is nothing that will make you feel better with a chest cold than fresh air and a 20 mile bike ride.  Yes, 20 miles.  This is my longest ride to date this year.  We headed out to the Montour trail at Logan Road and road well into Peters Township.  10 miles out and 10 miles back, total time with 1 stop for pictures and a snack 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  The sun was shining and the temperature was just right to prevent us from overheating.  If you haven't been to the Montour trail in the Bethel or Peters Township area I highly recommend it, the scenery is just amazing.

The ride gave me an additional 24 points to use during this week on the weight watchers program.  I am going to try to avoid using all 24 points because I am trying to get out of this weight loss slump I am in.  I made sure to snack on a fiber one bar while we were riding and got plenty of water.  Afterwards I had a low fat turkey burger (high protein) on a bagel thin and a bowl of Campbell's select beef barley (light) soup.   I also had a glass of skim milk right away to help get my muscles healing before I jumped in the shower.

Dinner last night was a spinach and tomato salad with light ranch and some leftover low fat turkey sausage with roasted peppers, onion, and garlic.

I don't know if it is the cold I am fighting or just the quality of protein I was eating yesterday but I feel very satisfied after those meals.  Maybe I will have to try them out again when my system is firing on all cylinders.

The brick.

The infamous brick workout, sometimes the thought of it sends shivers down your spine.  If you have ever done a triathlon or dualathlon you are probably familiar with the brick workout.  I have not done a brick style workout since probably about 2001 when I was training for the Hi-Tech Challenge (kayak, mtn bike, run).  The brick workout combines 2 different workouts to help better prepare you for a triathlon.  The most common brick (and the one discussed here) is to bike then run, a second less talked about brick is the swim/bike brick.

I woke up Tuesday morning had my coffee and some cereal, fed Noah and changed his diaper while the wife slept.  The plan was to meet Mark in South Park to ride for an hour or so before he had to go home and get ready for work.  I looked out the window to gray rainy skies and a bleak forecast of rain until late day.  The temperature was hovering around 50 degrees.  I wasn't going to let a little rain dampen my parade and neither was Mark.  He sent me a text message that read: bringing your running stuff as well just in case the mood strikes us.  At first my brain went, ehh not a bad idea, if its too rainy we can still run....it didn't dawn on me until about 20 minutes later that he was going to drop a brick on my head.

We commenced on our ride through South Park (sorry no pictures too wet for a camera), we covered about 10 miles in around 35 minutes.  Our ride was mostly flat and fast with one hill attack section that leads up to the wave pool and then around past the game preserve and back to Corrigan drive.  Aside from the rain the ride was basically uneventful and I felt pretty good except for a cramp in my left calf that Mark said is probably occurring because I was dropping my heals when I pedal.  A quick stretching section got me back on the bike and feeling good in around a minute.

We headed back to the car as the rain continued to fall and Mark said, are you ready to run?  At this point I was feeling pretty good so I agreed to a short run.  We loaded the bikes back into our respective vehicles then threw on the running shoes and went out for a run.  Of course, about a 1/4 mile into the run my left calf decided to seize up again.  (After some online reading I learned this is common if you haven't done bricks before).  I took a moment and stretched it out and then began running again.  My legs felt a little fatigued and definitely heavy...kind of like I had bricks in my shoes... We decided to keep the mileage light so we turned around at 1 mile and headed back to the car.  As we approached the final hill (slight grade, but a hill nonetheless) I just couldn't lift my feet anymore.  I don't know if it was the waterlogged shoes, the brick workout, or just a general fatigue but I had to call it at the top of the hill.  I logged about 1.75mi.  Mark continued on for the full 2.  Time for the run was about 16 minutes.  Overall afterward I felt great!!  My lungs felt strong the whole time, my legs just weren't in it to win it.  I have a feeling that if I am able to incorporate these workouts into my training once a week or so then I will be ready for my first tri this spring...

Now about that swimming part...GULP.

Now on to more exciting news because I am sure all 7 of my readers really don't want to hear about me, they want to hear about NOAH!  Wednesday (today) my little man is 7 weeks old.  He has completely grown out of the newborn clothes and sleepers.  If we put him in a swaddle sack, he tries to stretch out his legs and can't...then he yells at us.  He is now in 0-3month clothes and has been upgraded to the size 1 diapers.  The diaper upgrade comes as a great relief because we were nearing a blowout disaster with the newborns if he didn't fatten up those legs enough to fit the 1's soon!  The size 1's now fit without gapping in the legs and they are larger so they can "contain" a lot more baby presents.

Noah weighed in at a plump 10lbs 9oz this morning, a number that is a great relief to us because he has shown solid and consistent weight gain for the last 2 weeks now.  He also now possesses a very cute baby belly that leads daddy to break out the rasberries.

Noah regularly coo's and "talks" to us when we hold him or put him in his chair.  He smiles pretty regularly but it's tough to get him to repeat it.  I have a feeling in a week or two he will be regularly smiling at us and the smiles will be repeatable if we do the same action again.  I am really looking forward to when he starts laughing regularly as well because baby laughter is the best.  He is still Mr. Content either in your arms or in his bouncy seat (especially after feedings).  He is sleeping well (up to 5 hours at a time at night now), and mom and dad are taking shifts at night to make sure that we both get enough sleep now.

Hope everyone has a great week, if you would like to receive my blog via email just put your email address in the subscription box on the page.  The blog will be delivered to your mailbox the day after I post it.  If you are reading and not following I would love to have you follow as well, please add me, and if you enjoy the blog please share it with friends who may enjoy it!

Ron

Finding Time.

Finding time to workout with a newborn in the house is incredibly difficult.  After spending 42 hours a week at work and countless hours awake at night it becomes hard to even find the energy to exercise.  As difficult as it may be I find it important to try to exercise at least 3 days a week.  This not only helps me to maintain my fitness and weight loss goals it also helps me to get out of the house and clear my head.  It is a great way to decompress and destress.  If I am more relaxed I am able to be a better husband, father, and coworker.  For the past few weeks I have only been running on the treadmill because I wanted to be close to home in case Christine had any trouble with Noah.  Today though, we are getting a visit from Nana (my mother in law Lorraine) and Christine told me that I should get out and try to ride my bike for a bit.  I am going to try to squeeze in a ride for 40-60 minutes in nearby South Park today.  I just hope I am not too out of shape for this after 4 weeks of not riding.

Today is a milestone day for Noah as well, he is 1 month old at 4:49pm this afternoon.  We will be spending the afternoon doing his 1 month photo shoot after I get back from my ride.  I will make sure to post the photos soon.

Happy 1 month Birthday Noah!

Here is a daily dose of cute for you:

Getting in those workouts.

I am not a selfish person by nature.  I guess no one really thinks they are selfish, but you don't realize you are until you have children.  Before Noah came along I loved my "me" time, my get away from everything time.  I could go for a run, grab the bike and ride, or head out fishing and the only person I had to o.k. it with was the warden (aka the wife).  With her blessing I could could "get away" whenever I needed it without feeling guilty.  Then along came Noah, you see babies are very needy, they can't feed, bathe, or survive for that matter without us.  So when you have "free time"  you usually spend most of it sleeping because you don't get much of that as a parent either.  The battle for me is finding the time and the energy to sneak in workouts in between the diaper changes, the naps, and then also finding time to take the baby for a few hours so the wife can get out of the house.

**Important fitdadorfatdad note to expectant fathers make sure when the baby is born that you take care of your wife as much as you can.  Make sure her sanity stays intact.  Give her a spa day occasionally, give her some cash and send her shopping, tell her to take a lunch date with her girlfriends.  Just get her out of the house.  If your situation is anything like mine, if the wife is happy she is much more willing to let me leave for an hour or two to jump on the bike and ride, or spend a half hour to hour out on a run.**

Add to that the cuteness tractor beam your son/daughter has on your heart and that just adds to the difficulty to leaving the house the first few weeks after the baby is born.  Noah definitely has the ability to convince me that a workout isn't necessary today and that I should just spend the afternoon holding him on the couch while he sleeps or just stares into space.

All that aside the best advice I can give new parents to finding a time to workout is to plan ahead (not as easy as it sounds).  Pre-Noah I would get up daily before work at around 5:50am and workout for 30-60minutes.  Post-Noah I "plan" my workouts for my days off from work when Noah takes naps.  Christine usually sleeps during the day when Noah sleeps so I usually just coordinate a workout with Noah when he decides to sleep.  Most of my workouts recently have revolved around treadmill or bike trainer rides in the game room while I catch up on the DVR.  As he sleeps more during the evening and our schedules somewhat regain some of their normalcy I will adjust them accordingly.  I have also been on a quest to find a good kettleball and do some kettleball workouts in the evening as well.  Suggestions for quick muscle blasting workouts would be appreciated.

You have to find what will work best with your schedule as well as with your wife and child.  Don't be selfish, this isn't about you anymore.  No matter how hard you try your life now revolves around that child.   My fitness is very important to me, but it will never get in the way of properly raising my child.  I want to be able to raise him to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle.  The only way I will be able to do that will be to find a balance between  my "selfishness" and family.  I hope it won't be too hard.

Thanks for reading! Please share the link to the blog if you think that a friend or two would enjoy this!
-Ron