[Christopher] Well here it is the end of week 2 of my half marathon mock training, and it’s going fairly well. Actually, better than I had thought. I have had my doubts for a few reasons; one being I have always had issues with my shins. In regular running shoes, I was only able to run a few miles a week before I started having some serious pains. About a year ago I invested in the Vibram’s Five Fingers KSO’s. I was due for some new gym shoes and thought I would give these a try.  I wasn’t really expecting to run in them very much, but after I gave it a try, I didn’t really have any issues with the shins splints; and I think I know why. With the Vibram’s I am running a little differently. With regular running shoes, I was doing more heal striking which was causing more of an impact on my joints and shins. With the Five Fingers, I’m running more on the balls of my feet or mid-strike and I’m eliminating a lot of that impact.

Another issue that I thought I would have is the conflict of lifting heavy and still being able to run a lot. As it goes  for most endurance runners or cyclists, you can’t really lift massive amounts of weight and still be able to go the distance. Of course I accepted the challenge. I have revamped my workout a little: I am now going to be lifting heavy 3 days a week instead of 5 so that I can focus on running as well. You can see an example of my routine by going to my Workout Plan B page. So far, things are going fairly well. Wednesday I did a 4 mile tempo run and then accomplished a 405 lb dead-lift (a person best) in the evening.

Now that I am running more and going for longer distances, I am starting to see some of the the things Mandy would always talk about and I never understood; one being the chafing that happens after long runs. I now know that I will need different running shorts for longer runs. Chafing on the inside thighs = ouch. Another issue is… eh hem… my nipples. I have always heard that men can have this issue and band-aids was used to prevent. I thought it was silly. I stand corrected; this is not silly at all.

And finally, Saturday morning I ran an 8 miler and Mandy ran 9 miles. I felt pretty good, but it was definitely a workout. After the run we had gone to the grocery store to pick up some dinner: steaks, mixed vegetables and baked sweet potatoes. What better way to refuel than with what we got? It was not even an hour and half later after eating our dinner that my stomach was already growling. I was supper hungry already! A 16 oz KC strip, mixed veggies and a bakes sweet potato, and it was like I had not eaten anything at all. We ended up going to Sonic for a cheeseburger, fries and a Java Chiller. Now, I get why Mandy would always clean her plate before me. Although I lift heavy, my metabolism was still way slower compared to running long distances.

So with the change in exercise also comes a change in clothing, diet and plenty of chafing lotion! Stay tuned to see how the training continues!

[Mandy]  Well the last couple of weeks have been pleasantly surprising and different to say the least.  Switching gears and backing off of running has been a bigger struggle than I imagined it would be!  I guess I didn’t realize how set I was in my routine and how not running ridiculous amounts of mileage would mess with my head.  It just doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough if I’m not running the mileage required to train for a full marathon.  It was actually pretty nice to have to swallow my pride and cut some of my runs short because I was physically exhausted and drained from our awesome workouts during the week.  Adding more cross-training and explosive movements is changing my body and tiring me out on a whole new level; it makes running effortlessly for miles on end twice as difficult!  I had to sit myself down and have a heart to heart to tell myself that it was OK to run a little less than usual; I’m more than making up for it with our other workouts.  There’s a time and a place for everything, and right now I want to focus on being more well-rounded; not necessarily in full marathon shape where I’m focusing mainly on running.

 After Saturday’s run when I was barely able to pull out 9 miles (I was feeling tired by mile 3 and had secretly hoped to run between 10-12) I knew I needed to adjust my mindset and really commit to the training that Christopher and I had mapped out instead of falling into my usual running routine.  After our huge recovery meal Saturday night and relaxing the rest of the weekend, I’m ready to get back to it this weekend with a firm cap on my daily mileage.  I’m going to follow the ½ marathon training program to a T without adding extra mileage, and I’m going to focus more on our other cross-training days and shocking my system with new moves.  It took me a couple weeks of trial and error to figure out how much my body could take!  I’m having so much fun watching Christopher start out with this training program and have been so unbelievably impressed with how quickly he’s adapting to it!  He’s been running alongside me effortlessly and has been increasing his speed and distance by leaps and bounds!  I can’t believe he can crank out a tough speed workout and then seconds later be out-maxing his deadlift.  I really do believe he’s Superman, and he motivates me like no one else.  I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to do in the next couple of weeks!

 We’ve also been brainstorming some ways to revamp our diets to be healthier by making them more natural and organic and cutting out a lot of the processed junk we’ve gotten so used to ingesting. Our good friend Jeremy let us borrow his book “The Paleo Diet for Athletes,” and we’ve begun to make some changes in our diet a little at a time.  Once we finalize our diets we’ll update everyone with the changes we’ve made and what our diets will look like during this phase of our training.  Stay tuned!

M&C

The first Sunday Funday of 2012 was pretty tame. After the first week of changing up our training, our legs were pretty tired and sore. Not to mention that Tom had just finished running a half marathon that morning, we all were good with taking it easy on this day.

We started off at Sharp’s for some fuel\ refueling. It’s hard to pass up a great brunch at that restaurant! Then we (causally) headed south to Irezumi to check out some jewelry. Mandy is in the process of gauging her ears and is now currently at a 4 gauge. Thanks to Adam for always being helpful!

After the brief stop, we made our way to the Gaf. Yes, again. Don’t judge us! That seems to be our go to place when we are up that way. If you have ever tried their Irish Coffee, then you would understand.

After warming our bodies at the Gaf, we rode around for a few more miles before calling it quits for the day. It was a good day and was nice to get out and enjoy the weather! We have to take advantage of this while we can! We’re not too sure how much more mother nature will spoil us!

M&C

Christopher: Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over (thankfully!), we are getting things back in line and into workout mode. But instead of our usual weights/running routine, we are changing it up. Since I have decided to run the Kansas City half marathon this year, I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and pretend that I was training for one now. That way, I can see how my body reacts to the change of pace. This way when I go to actually train for the half marathon, I will be somewhat prepared for it. The training schedule I have prepared for myself is going to be pretty intense and not very forgiving as I am already experiencing. My schedule will go as follows;

-Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday will be the running days.

-Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will stick with my usual heavy lifting.

-Tuesday and Thursday dedicated to cross training for more explosive exercises to work on the fast twitch muscles and improve our agility.

Here it is only Thursday and my legs are screaming at me. As I laid in bed last night looking up at the ceiling, I had the heating pad under my hamstrings and I can still smell Bengay from when I applied it on my quads earlier that day; I wondered, why do I do this to myself? Why do I put my body through this stress when the rest of the world sitting down in front of the television, keeping up on world events, watching “Dancing with the Stars,” and enjoying their favorite dinner? I can say that I like the way it makes me feel, and that is mostly true, but more importantly I never want to say to myself, “I wish I would have done that.” I do what I want and I do what I love. It’s my life and I don’t get a second chance at it. Carpe diem!

Mandy:  I have been anxiously awaiting the beginning of training! I feel lost when I don’t have something to work towards, and I kind of felt like I was floundering for a while after I completed my marathon in October.  Since Christopher committed to his first half marathon next October and wanted to begin training for it now, I was more than happy to join in and train with him! My goal is to be in constant half marathon shape year round.  That way I can spontaneously run races here and there when I want to, and it won’t take much for me to train for something a little longer.  I’m also looking forward to adding more cross-training to my workouts such as total body cross-fit exercises and other forms of cardio such as biking, stair-climbing, and the elliptical, in addition to my weights.  My workout program is looking the same as Christopher’s; I’m still holding to my 3x a week running plan with a longer run over the weekends.  The mind and body have such a strong connection, and I know I just don’t feel like myself when I’m not running as much. As of right now I have not committed to any other races, but I know it won’t be long before I feel that itch again.  I’m ecstatic to be back on track with our workouts and diet again!  This year is off to a great start

We’ll see you out there! Where? Yes, there.

M&C