jfrankovich's Fourth NF Challenge

[german]

Your shorts sure have lost some colour... other than that and the different guy from pic.1, it's pretty much the same

[jfrankovich]

Ha!  My watch is different, too.

 

Week 3 Recap

 

Saturday I ran 10 miles in 1:32:37 (with no knee problems), completing my four scheduled runs for the week.  Sunday I knocked out 20 strength sets to reach my weekly goal of 70.  Still going strong in Streak Club, daily stretching, and hydration.  I did some more reading about the water and concluded that 64 ounces a day is probably a bit of overkill; about 40 ounces a day would suffice.  But I'm going to follow through with the rest of this challenge at least... it is still certainly good to be building the habit of drinking more than I used to, since I probably was averaging less than 20 ounces a day before this challenge.

 

In house news, we already have received an offer for our current house!  It's good to know that it's desirable, but at the same time a bit stressful considering that we haven't found a place to move yet.  Hopefully this coming week's batch of new showings will result in a winner.

[bgvanbur]

Great job, both in the last week and over the last year.

[KillerGriller]

Great side-by-side comparison dude!

 

Hope the house thing works out for you

[jfrankovich]

Thanks, BGV and KG.

 

Week 4 Update #1

 

Tuesday I got up early and ran 4 miles in 33:27, and Wednesday night I did 5 miles in 41:43.  I'm lagging behind in strength sets this week, though (only 17 completed thus far).  Meanwhile, I'm still keeping up with my hydration goal, which is perfect for this week's Scout mini-challenge.

 

Lots of news on the house front this week... we accepted an offer on our current house AND made an offer on a new house that we really like, which was also accepted!  Inspections are next, followed by all the paperwork, and then moving in May!

[german]

Awesome news on the new house front, hope it all goes well with the following steps!!

[18ck]

Great news about the house - hope you're catching up on those strength sets!

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

[jfrankovich]

Thanks, german & 18ck.

 

Week 4 Recap

 

Thursday night I did another 4-mile run and Saturday I ran 9 miles, completing my four scheduled runs for the week (22 miles total).  Four weeks to go until the half marathon!  I also successfully reached my goal of 70 strength sets over the weekend.  No new personal records to report; I think in going for more volume I'm sacrificing a bit in intensity, and perhaps not really gaining much as a result.  I'll probably switch to a new format for my strength goal in the next challenge, if anything just to mix things up.... maybe something with circuit training and/or HIIT.

 

Meanwhile, I'm up to four weeks without a miss on either my stretching or hydration goal.  I've noticed that I can reach farther toward my toes now, especially on the right side.

[KillerGriller]

It's not that you aren't gaining, instead you are probably gaining more in muscular endurance vs. strength

[jfrankovich]

Week 5 Update #1

 

With major life changes looming, it's been a stressful week, but I'm plugging along.  On Monday I ran 4 miles (interval style) and on Wednesday night I did a sweet 5-mile run in 38:28 (7:42/mile).  I've fallen behind on strength exercises again, with only 18 sets completed thus far.  A positive in that area, though, was setting new PRs for both body weight squats (65) and push-ups (25).  Henceforth, I'm going to start working on more difficult variations of those (weighted and one-legged squats; decline and close-grip push-ups).

 

Stretching

Hydration

Streak Club

 

My focus for this weekend will be getting in some rest and relaxation and enjoying Easter family gatherings rather than fretting too much about reaching my strength goal.

 

Cheers, JF

[KillerGriller]

Happy Easter Frank!

 

[jfrankovich]

Ha... that's more like how it went for us with Santa a few months back.  More of a quiet caution with the EB.

[18ck]

Happy Easter Frank!

 

Haha! Classic! *sends to everyone*

Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk 2

[jfrankovich]

Week 5 Recap

 

Not one of my better weeks as far as challenges go.  My iPod glitched out on me and the app that I use for reminders doesn't work anymore, which promptly led to two days missed on my stretching goal.  I also came up a little short on water Saturday with only 48 ounces, but that's hardly a big deal.  And I did manage to keep my daily squat streak alive in Streak Club.  The bigger downfall was on my strength goal, as I ended up with only 26 sets completed for the week, far short of my goal of 70.  I pretty much considered the remainder of the week a rest period from about the halfway point on... but rest is important too, so I'm fine with that.  Back on the horse for a big Week 6 finish!

 

Meanwhile, I stayed dedicated to my primary goal by running 4 miles on Friday morning and 12 miles in 1:53:52 on Sunday night, completing my scheduled four runs for 25 total miles for the week.  That was the longest run in my training plan; I'm now tapering before my half marathon on April 21.  I'm also signed up for a competitive 5K this Saturday, my first race since last October.  On Friday I tested out my new GPS watch (a Timex Ironman Run Trainer)... it worked well and I'm looking forward to using it in the upcoming races.

 

I also got to spend a lot of quality time with relatives from both sides of the family this weekend.  Our 1-year-old enjoyed being the center of attention, as always, even while recovering from an ear infection and fever.

[jfrankovich]

Week 6 Update #1

 

On Tuesday night I ran 4 miles... outside!  It was my first outdoor run in several weeks, and my first along that route in several months.  It was great!  I could really tell how much I have improved since the last time I ran there.  I used my GPS watch again and I'm looking forward to uploading the data to the computer to check it all out.  Wednesday night after bowling I did another 5 miles (back on the treadmill) that included several 30-second sprints at 10 mph.  I'll be trying for a 5K PR on Saturday.

 

My strength goal is going much better this week... 10 sets each day so far, so right on track for 70.  Also doing all of my stretching, hydration, and Streak Club squats.

[jfrankovich]

Week 6 Recap

 

Thursday evening I ran 6.89 miles, since I was scheduled for two runs totaling 10 miles to finish the week and the 5K was on Saturday.  As part of that run, I practiced on the 5K course, since it is close to our house.  I was glad I did... there were some hills that I did not know about.  Friday I rested; Saturday was race day, and it was great!  I wasn't deterred by the sleet that fell during my warmups... it was cool and windy during the race, but not too bad with my thermal running clothes and gloves.  And my new watch really helped me stay at my goal pace rather than going out too fast and tiring out.  I finished with a personal record time of 22:20, and that was the best in my age group!  The race benefited the local library, so I won a gold first place bookmark.

 

That rounded out my four runs for the week for a total of 19 miles.  Two weeks to go until the half marathon!  Meanwhile, I hit all my other goals for the week: 70 strength sets completed, 10 stretches a day, and 64+ ounces of water a day.

 

[18ck]

8th overall and top of your category! Brilliant result! 

[jfrankovich]

Six-Week Challenge Recap

 

GOAL ONE: RUNNING

 

I knocked this goal out of the park this time.  I completed all 24 of my scheduled runs (4 per week, for a total of 120 miles) in preparation for my first half marathon on April 21 (see my running log).  Along the way I set a 5K PR twice: 22:38 in Week 1 and then 22:20 in Week 6 (in a competitive race, winning first place in my age group).  On a few training runs I really noticed how much my stamina has improved over the past 6 months.  I'm really proud of the progress I've made thus far and will keep it going in the half marathon and beyond in the challenges to come.

 

Grade: A+

GOAL TWO: STRENGTH

 

My goal here was to do 70 sets of strength exercises each week.  I successfully reached this goal in 4 out of the 6 weeks, with a total of 360 sets completed, for an average of 60 per week (see my strength log).  That was still an increase compared to the last challenge, when I completed 50 strength sets per week.  In Week 2 I fell short due to recovering from straining my back, and in Week 5 I fell short due to recovering from life in general, and to focus on enjoying the Easter weekend.  I liked the sets per week format, but after two challenges in a row I think I'll try something different next time around.  During this challenge, I set the following personal records:

• neutral-grip pull-up, 7 reps
• push-up, 25 reps
• close-grip push-up, 15 reps
• body weight squat, 65 reps

I also participated in Streak Club, successfully doing at least 20 squats every day of the challenge (1,882 in all, or 44.8 per day).

 

Grade: B+
 
GOAL THREE: STRETCHING

My goal here was to stretch every day, including back, chest, left side, right side, hamstrings, quads, outer thighs, inner thighs, calves, and toe touches.  I did really good with this goal, missing only 2 of the 42 days (both in Week 5, after my iPod reminder stopped working).  I've noticed a marked improvement in my ability to reach my toes (my wife and mom were really impressed too).  Moving forward, I'm not going to keep tracking this every day, but I'm going to continue the habit of stretching following runs (when my muscles are warm and loose).

 

Grade: A

GOAL FOUR: HYDRATION

My goal here was to drink at least 64 ounces of water every day (probably around 3 or 4 times as much as I had been).  This was another one where I did really well and could see a definite difference.  I missed on only 1 day during the challenge (in Week 5), with 48 ounces, and I made up for that with surpluses on a few other days.  The main thing I noticed was that the water kept me feeling full and made it easier to avoid overeating and extra snacking.  Having to go to the bathroom more often led to a bit of extra walking, and it even helped prod me out of bed earlier a few times.  Again, I'm ready for a break from tracking this constantly, but I think I'll be able to maintain the habit of drinking a lot more water than I used to.

 

Grade: A

 

In addition, I participated in the Scouts Race Around the World (logging 2,449 minutes of exercise, or 408 per week) as well as the Scouts Mini Challenge.  In Week 3 I joined a new healthy lifestyles support group at work and completed a write-up about using MyFitnessPal to track calories to share with my colleagues, and in Week 5 I did some rope jumping for the first time since three challenges ago.

 

In sum, I had another great six weeks.  I'm proud of the way I was able to achieve nearly everything I planned to do despite going through some above-average stressful weeks involving house hunting and selling.  Once again, I feel like I've leveled up in a number of ways, and many thanks go to my fellow Scouts for their continued support!

 

Overall Grade: A

[german]

Wow, awesome results, you rocked this challenge again!, you are impressive, sir!

[jfrankovich]

Thanks, German.  Same goes for you!