07.22.08
Posted in Manhattan, People, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
This summer I am playing in a 6-v-6 soccer league run by the Manhattan Parks and Recreation department. We are generously sponsored by della Voce bistro italiano. The team is made up of ex-teammates from my high school team – the Manhattan High School Indians. This includes the likes of Noah Reagan, Oscar Montenegro, Justin Kastner, Steve Howe, Justin Deweese, Brett Robinson, and Jim Launchbach. The team is supplemented by friends to round out a good, but aging team.
We finished the regular season with 3 wins, 1 tie, and 3 losses. At least 2 games we should have won (the tie and one loss). We are starting the tournament tonight and hope to play better in the tourney than we did in the regular season.
I have enjoyed the soccer but the best part is catching up with old friends. It is amazing that Oscar hasn’t lost a step and has turned out to be a hard working banker and family guy. Steve and JK are still in pretty good shape and still quite the players despite the lack of practice. And Jim is as strong and aggressive as ever – a nice thing to have on the back line. And it was fun catching up with Deweese but it sucked that he broke his collar bone in the first game.
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07.21.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 10:00 pm by Todd
Well, I am officially crazy today. Not only did I recently agree to run in a half-marathon (thanks to Ben and Adam for convincing me along with the constant pushing of Jeremy) but I started training for it. I could have easily said I would do it and then back out a few weeks before the race. Instead, I decided that I should start training in hopes of being able to complete the half marathon as well as put myself in position to start training for a full marathon.
Before I start I wanted to get a baseline of some numbers to compare my current health with my health right before and right after the event. So I had Kari do some measurements and take some pictures. Beware, the pictures posted below are not for the faint of heart!
Current weight: 180 lbs
Resting Blood Pressure: 132/79
Resting Heart Rate: 62
Body Fat (estimate): 21.12% (using the U.S. Navy body fat formula) or 18.97% (using the formula developed by the YMCA) (using this calculator and these measurements: 34, 35.5, 40.5, 14.5, 5’10″, 180).
I am going to try and follow this training plan. So I got up early this morning and went for a 3 mile run. I finished slower than I hoped (28 minutes and 46 seconds). But I did finish despite some knee tightness/discomfort as I ran.
I am hoping that by posting this I will be motivated to continue training as well as to run and complete the race. So my craziness started today and will continue until I finish the half marathon. And maybe, just maybe, I will decide to run a full marathon in the spring (of 2009). Feel free to post encouraging words in the comments section – and feel free to keep your unflattering comments about my picture to yourself 
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06.24.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
Well, it was a long run for me.
Last Saturday (June 14) my good friend Jeremy convinced me to go running with him. He thought it would be fun to try to run a half-marathon route around Linear Trail here in Manhattan (13.2 miles). The route starts at the Casement Rd. entrance to Linear trail and went around the south side of Manhattan until we reached the entrance behind the Clarion Hotel (formerly the Holidome). At that point, the route reverses direction and you head back the way you came.
Since Jeremy smiled so pretty and my ego got the best of me, I decided to run it with him. But before providing the results of the run I want to provide a little context. I am not a runner. I only recently started running again (started in April) and worked my way up to running 5-6 miles at a time. But since my vacation (May 23-27) I had not run further than 2-3 miles at a time. I had also never run longer than 6 miles – in high school we regularly ran 6 miles after practice.
With all that said, I wasn’t able to complete the whole route. I was doing well until about the 8 mile mark. I wasn’t really energetic but I felt like I complete the 13.2 miles and nothing hurt too bad at that point. And then my knee started to tighten up. So at the 8.5 mile mark (where Linear Trail crosses S. Manhattan Ave.), I decided to stop and stretch hoping that I could loosen up and I could complete the run. After stretching, we tried to start again and I had a painful realization – my knee decided that we were done and communicated that to me by locking up completely. So I decided to quit and avoid permanent injury. That was 1 hour and 20 minutes into running.
So I am really happy and sad about that run. Happy that I was able to push myself for 8.5 miles and a good pace (10 minute mile). Sad that I wasn’t able to complete it. But it gives me hope that if I train better (more leg weight training and a gradual distance improvement), I can run as far as I want. So maybe a half-marathon or full marathon will be added to my Fall 2008 fitness goals.
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06.12.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
Just wanted to provide a conclusion to my Spring 2008 fitness goals. This past Saturday I was able to complete a 1 mile run in under 7 minutes (actual time was 6:54). I still need to try the 2 mile run in 16:06 (I had meant to just keep going after the 7 minute mile but I was completely out of juice).
In other news, I did 61 push-ups, 89 sit-ups, and 10 chin-ups on Wednesday. I also did 2 sets of 10 reps of bench press with 180 lbs – the third set I only got 5 good ones in before getting help with 2 additional reps.
To recap my goals and related results:
- Bench Press 180lbs for regular sets (3 sets of 10 reps each) : 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 5 – ALMOST
- 20 pull-ups : 10 – NOT EVEN CLOSE
- 55 sit-ups in 2 minutes : 89 – COMPLETE
- 51 push-ups in 2 minutes : 61 – COMPLETE
- Run 16:06 2 mile : NOT TESTED
- Run 7:00 mile : 6:54 – COMPLETE
- Have a resting heart rate of 60-80 bpm : 40-60 (actually concerned my doctor) – COMPLETE
- Maintain a good blood pressure (less than 120/80) : I hover around this mark and rarely fall below it – NOT COMPLETE
It looks like I have done a decent job with my goals for my spring workout. I obviously set some of them too high and some too low. And I had a couple of set-backs that slowed down my progress (heart issue and knee trouble).
I am going to take a slight break from setting my next goals to properly evaluate them. So I would love to hear from my friends (aka, readers) to see what type of fitness goals I should set next. I figured I should look at the Army and Navy SEALS tests to come up with more ideas. And maybe set a goal about how long I can run (2 hours?) or how far (13 miles?). I am hoping to hear some good ideas – so start commenting.
References:
06.11.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
Yesterday I started a new addition to my workout routine: a Yoga-Pilates class. It is the same class that Kari has been taking for years and has really loved it. It is taught by Diana Knox who is a very experienced and friendly instructor at Pro Fitness. The first class was good and it gave me a good idea of what to expect for the remaining 15 sessions.
What struck me as I was walking out was the difference of this class in comparison to my last exercise class: the boxers training program at KO Boxing. In the Yoga-Pilates class, the instructor is laid back and wants to make sure you work at your own pace and abilities. In the boxing class, the instructor(s) had a high-pressure style and wanted to push you to your limits. I am not saying one is better than the other – it just struck me as such a huge difference.
I think I am going to love this class and what it will do for my health and fitness. It certainly works a different set of muscles. And it should be a blast doing a workout with Kari!
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05.05.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 2:58 pm by Todd
I did another fitness test today to see how I am progressing (goals are
here and my previous results are
here). I only have 4 weeks left to improve but I seem to be doing well. Before my workout today I did:
- 10 chin-ups
- 89 sit-ups (in 2 minutes)
- 60 push-ups (in 2 minutes)
Although I am not even close to the 20 chin-ups I was still really excited that I did that many. I have doubled the number I can do since my last fitness test (3/21). I was also pretty happy about the 89 sit-ups. I was not as happy about the push-ups. For some reason, I don’t seem to be improving much despite all the chest exercises that Jeremy and I do. I am also on track to bench press the 180 lbs as sets (we are currently doing 170lbs). I also have had a great resting heart rate (good enough to concern my doctor that it was too low) and good blood pressure (it could improve – I just refuse to cut out all caffeine).
Now if I can get my knee back into shape I will try the running goals (7:00 minute mile and 16:06 two mile). I did something to my knee playing basketball last week so it just doesn’t feel right.
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04.18.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
I have once again taken up running and I am almost to the point that I will call myself a runner – almost. For most of my friends, this is a huge change in my life – for 31 years I have hated running. I hated running more than I hated onions. The only time I enjoyed running was when there was some ball to chase after (i.e., basketball, soccer, or football). But I have changed and have started to enjoy my regular runs.
Anyway, I laughed when I read this article on the 10 types of runners. I fall somewhere in between the Salination Machine (#5) and the NBA Pro (#8).
But again, that assumes that I would call myself a runner – which I don’t … yet.
FYI, if you are interested in tracking my running take a look at my profile on FitLink.com. I am trying to keep all of my routes and results on there (you will also notice my other exercise activites like basketball and weight training).
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03.31.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 1:00 pm by Todd
I decided last night that I am going to take a hiatus from the boxers training program that I have been doing at KO Boxing. It was very fun and an excellent workout. I have learned a great deal from it and know that I will likely to do it again. But with spring coming my golfing bug is starting to make me itch. So I think I will be trading my boxing gloves for golf clubs. And since golfing isn’t as good of a workout, I am going to try running again. Maybe I can get into good enough shape to run in a 5k yet this spring.
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03.21.08
Posted in About Me, Sports at 2:00 pm by Todd
I did a quick, and partial, fitness test today. I was able to do only 5 chin-ups and 47 push-ups but I did great with 70 sit-ups. Looks like I should achieve the sit-ups, push-ups and most likely the bench press goals (I am currently doing sets with 145lbs) but the pull-ups might be tough. Time to change up the regular routine to work on my chip-ups/pull-ups!
For more on my goals see my previous post.
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