Jormungand: Challenge V - Honing of the Dragoon

[Jormungand]

 

While this challenge is less about the letter of what makes a dragoon, it has much to do with the spirit of what makes a dragoon. I have a half marathon to run in one month. I've not completely fallen off the trail when it comes to running and cardio, but there is plenty yet to do. This challenge will be about me summoning my inner dragoon and doing what it takes to sharpen my skills and really crack down this month. I have no intention of over-training to the point of injury, but I will be placing more focus in my overall goals to get through this race.

 

First Quest: Run and run smart. My maximum distance ever run is 7.5 miles. I will be adding a mile a week until the race, so that I will be close to the maximum distance by the time it rolls around. With some smaller runs peppered in throughout the week to build stamina, I feel confident in this goal. +3 STA +1 DEX

 

Second Quest: Strength train at least twice a week. I've found that this really benefits my running game. When I stay focused on lifting and strength training, I'm able to recover better from longer runs. It also keeps me active so I don't lounge as much on days when I'm not running. I really did enjoy the jumping last challenge, so I will try to maintain that in some form or another. +3 STR +1 CON

 

Third Quest: Limit alcohol. This is specifically for the second, third, and fourth weeks of the challenge. This week, I am going to a conference in Denver, and Colorado has some of my favorite breweries, and I have no intention of missing them. I won't be going overboard, but this is a rare trip. However, once I get back, I will be completely dry leading up to the race. +3 CON

[SaltyDragon]

Very nice, straightforward goals. You should do well with them. Strength training will definitely benefit your running – makes you stronger, leaner and less susceptible to injury. Do you have a specific plan for the run training, or are you just building a little each week?

[Jormungand]

On April 4, 2016 at 10:59 PM, SaltyDragon said:

Do you have a specific plan for the run training, or are you just building a little each week?

 

I intend to just build a little each week with at least one longer run. 

 

This week is off to a good start. I ran 7.5 miles on Monday, and I felt pretty strong throughout - even with the wind in my face on the latter half. For the remainder of the week, I am in a hotel due to attending a conference in Denver. They have a fitness room with some treadmills and a universal machine. I'll make do with what I can. 

[SaltyDragon]

15 hours ago, Jormungand said:

For the remainder of the week, I am in a hotel due to attending a conference in Denver. They have a fitness room with some treadmills and a universal machine. I'll make do with what I can.

 

Perfect opportunity for a little high altitude training!

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 2016-04-07 at 1:09 AM, SaltyDragon said:

Perfect opportunity for a little high altitude training!

 

I've always wanted an opportunity to train in the mountains!  Someday this is going to happen, and I'll likely be a puddle on the floor, but I'll enjoy the opportunity nonetheless. 

[Jormungand]

I went for a run yesterday around town and the Denver city park. I didn't track it, but I was out for about an hour. I plan on going for another morning run tomorrow before we have to leave. The weather was perfect, and I begrudgingly ended the run due to my time schedule. 

 

My wife and I visited Colorado several years ago, and this trip just confirms how awesome this place is. She got tired of me talking about moving here pretty quick, so we agreed to give it a decade or so and discuss it at a later date. I feel like a cliché whenever I talk about training in the mountain air, but it truly is enjoyable. It doesn't hurt that our hotel is near a Voodoo Doughnut shop.  

[Wild Wolf]

 

 

I've always wanted an opportunity to train in the mountains!  Someday this is going to happen, and I'll likely be a puddle on the floor, but I'll enjoy the opportunity nonetheless. 

 

Me too...on both accounts, but it is something I want to do! Colorado is my retirement state lol.

 

 

I went for a run yesterday around town and the Denver city park. I didn't track it, but I was out for about an hour. I plan on going for another morning run tomorrow before we have to leave. The weather was perfect, and I begrudgingly ended the run due to my time schedule. 

 

My wife and I visited Colorado several years ago, and this trip just confirms how awesome this place is. She got tired of me talking about moving here pretty quick, so we agreed to give it a decade or so and discuss it at a later date. I feel like a cliché whenever I talk about training in the mountain air, but it truly is enjoyable. It doesn't hurt that our hotel is near a Voodoo Doughnut shop.  

 

Nice, dude! Way to get in a good run. Voodoo Doughnut Shop?????

 

Good to see ya again Jormungand! Following!

 

Wolf

[SaltyDragon]

I'm in passing through eastern Utah today, where it's starting to look more like Colorado, and yeah, it's just amazing. Take every chance you get to get out and enjoy it!

 

And since you mentioned it...

 

[Jormungand]

 

 

Me too...on both accounts, but it is something I want to do! Colorado is my retirement state lol.

 

 

Nice, dude! Way to get in a good run. Voodoo Doughnut Shop?????

 

Good to see ya again Jormungand! Following!

 

Wolf

 

Agreed on the retirement state statement. This is a great place. Voodoo Doughnuts are the food of legend. They have some doughnuts with crushed up cereal and some with Oreos and peanut butter drizzle on them among many other myriad concoctions. I've been training just to maintain and am doing my best to keep up with all of the delicious food and beer out here. 

 

 

I'm in passing through eastern Utah today, where it's starting to look more like Colorado, and yeah, it's just amazing. Take every chance you get to get out and enjoy it!

 

And since you mentioned it...

 

 

You're not wrong. I hope your travels continue to be awesome. I went for another run this morning. The weather is just too beautiful not to. My wife and I are spending our last afternoon here just to drive around. We wanted to go to Rocky Mountain National Park, but some of the roads are closed. I imagine we'll be able to figure something out. 

[originalpiratematerial]

Hi Jormungand, following as you prepare for the HM on the same weekend as mine, albeit many thousands of miles away!

[originalpiratematerial]

Oh - meant to say - I'm also dry too until after 8 May! Or specifically after the HM on 8 May. I don't rule out having a drink that afternoon!

[Jormungand]

I am the same way. I already know what beer I will be drinking that afternoon. Best of luck. 

[Rurik Harrgath]

 

I am the same way. I already know what beer I will be drinking that afternoon. Best of luck. 

 

Sounds familiar.  I drink so rarely these days that when I do, the beverage of choice has been planned out for weeks in advance. 

[Jormungand]

Almost halfway into this challenge and things are going pretty well. I am staying on top of my running goals. I ran 9 miles on Tuesday and did a 2 mile running session with some interval training today. I'm feeling really strong about my upcoming race. I only had one strength training session in last week, but I'm still counting it as a win that I did it at all with the traveling. 

 

As I'd intended, I indulged a bit while in Colorado as far as food and drink goes, but the ship's a little tighter these days. My food intake is a bit more managed, and I haven't had any alcohol since I got back. The real test will be when I get closer to the weekend, but I will endure. It's only for a couple weeks, and I'm interested to see if my training is positively affected by the dry spell. 

 

Back at it. Here is some badass dragoon artwork to keep you motivated this week. 

 

[originalpiratematerial]

Good running!

[originalpiratematerial]

I have to confess I did have a couple of beers with the husband on Friday night but was back on the wagon last night!

[Jormungand]

 

I have to confess I did have a couple of beers with the husband on Friday night but was back on the wagon last night!

 

It's all about getting back on track. You got this.

[Jormungand]

Yesterday, I did a weigh in and had tipped back up above 200 pounds. I wasn't really surprised. For the past couple of weeks, my strength training has been lax and my diet has been a little too devil-may-care. No worries, though. It just means that I've got to be a bit more rigorous these next three weeks leading up to the half marathon. Still avoiding alcohol since getting back from Denver, which has probably helped. That doesn't mean that I can slip in other areas, though. 

 

I weighed in again this morning and was back down to 198. I'm always surprised at how much that scale can fluctuate. Pro tip: never weigh yourself the morning after a night of eating pizza. 

 

I intend to go for a longer run tomorrow if the weather holds in the afternoon. If not, my goal is for Saturday. I'm looking to get a 10 mile run in this week, and an 11 mile run in the next. Then, I'm looking to rest the week leading up to the half marathon. Still dry, which will make the beer after the race all the more worth it. 

 

[Jormungand]

Yesterday, I went for a 10 mile run for my half marathon training. It's the farthest I've ever run, and I was able to manage it all without stopping to walk. However, I do believe it's the closest to death I've ever been. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but I was pretty miserable for the last three miles. The wind was in my face for the entire last half of the run, but I was able to slog through it all. 

 

After I was finished, my wife and I had dinner, which was uneventful. Delicious, but uneventful. However, later that evening, I felt pretty sick. Sick as in upset stomach and what felt like higher than normal body temps. I wasn't sure if I was dehydrated or just hadn't fueled myself properly during the run. I expect the latter because I hadn't had much to eat that day, and I was pushing my body in an activity that I'd heretofore never accomplished. 

 

Whatever the cause, I had some chocolate milk, some Pepto-Bismol, and a slice of pizza before bed, and all that really seemed to help. I spoke with a friend who's done the race before, and he said not to neglect my hydration and food consumption leading up to the race. Which, I know all of this, I just need to do it. I've done Tough Mudders before, and I'd never had quite the adverse reaction. However, they offer a couple hydration and food stops along the way. I definitely need to stock up on some energy gels or gummies for the actual race. That or have more than a peanut butter sandwich and some coffee the day of. 

 

All in all, though, I still ran 10 miles, and I am really stoked about that fact. I've still got one more long run planned before the race. There's a route I'd like to do that is a little over 11.5 miles that I'd like to try out properly fueled and hydrated. I may have to do it early next week due to some work schedule and family commitments. A lot of next weekend will be pretty full, and I don't want to do it the week of the race, so I'll just have to see what works out. 

 

Also, one last thing. I know that I said that I'd planned to be alcohol-free leading up to the race. So far, I've been able to maintain my sobriety. However, a friend of ours is having a birthday party on Saturday, and I plan to do a little celebrating along with her. So, I'm allowing this one day during the training period. 

 

I hope all of you are finding success during this challenge. 

[Rurik Harrgath]

Great work on keeping up the sobriety and mileage going into your marathon coming up.  I'm sure all of your hard work and efforts will pay off when you make it to the race. 

[SaltyDragon]

Awesome job on the ten miler! It's totally normal I think to feel awful in some way after something like that, especially the first time. It sounds like you got through it quickly, which is great. The thing about distance running is that, well, it kinda sucks and can feel really terrible! But, it can also make you feel really good for reasons that are hard to explain, and it's of course very rewarding to accomplish.

 

The goal to remain dry is certainly admirable, but a sensible amount for a one-time celebration sounds fine to me. Enjoy!

[Jormungand]

 

Great work on keeping up the sobriety and mileage going into your marathon coming up.  I'm sure all of your hard work and efforts will pay off when you make it to the race. 

 

Thanks. I believe it will. I am really interested to see what my last long run going into it will be like. I also got my bib confirmation today, so things are getting real. 

 

 

Awesome job on the ten miler! It's totally normal I think to feel awful in some way after something like that, especially the first time. It sounds like you got through it quickly, which is great. The thing about distance running is that, well, it kinda sucks and can feel really terrible! But, it can also make you feel really good for reasons that are hard to explain, and it's of course very rewarding to accomplish.

 

The goal to remain dry is certainly admirable, but a sensible amount for a one-time celebration sounds fine to me. Enjoy!

 

Thank you. I'm starting to realize that my reaction wasn't really that much of an anomaly. I was very aware of the post-race runner's high during a portion of the as well as afterwards before the nausea kicked in. I have every intention of fueling smarter in the coming weeks, so I'm hoping that helps. And you are absolutely right about the "hard to explain" aspect of it. 

[Jormungand]

Four Week Challenge Recap

 

There are elements about how this challenge went that I am really happy about and others that will require a bit more retrospection. As always, thank you to everyone who offered words of advise, encouragement, and any other bits along the way. I truly appreciate the interaction with everyone in the community here. You are all awesome. 

 

First Quest: Run and run smart. This ended up going really well, even considering how I felt after the Ten-Mile Slog. I ended up hitting 11.7 miles for one of my runs this week, and I felt much better that time around. I was much smarter on how I fueled beforehand, and the weather was very agreeable. I am holding off on any long runs during Zero Week, because I will be running the mini-marathon a week from today, and I don't want to push myself that close to the race. No need to risk any potential injury. I felt pretty comfortable running that distance for the most part, and I am feeling fairly confident going into 13.1 miles. 

 

Second Quest: Strength train at least twice a week. Again, not much to complain about. I stuck with mostly the same lifting patterns, with most of the barbell work coming through in the claymore complex. I did perform a bear complex at least once as well as a body weight workout from Darebee. I like a lot of the ideas from that website, and I am thinking about incorporating some into the next challenge.

 

Third Quest: Limit alcohol. This one started really well: after a planned week of eating and drinking across Denver, I'd go to an alcohol-free training regimen. I had unofficially intended to drop down below 190 pounds just for the upcoming race. For the past challenge, my weight hovered around 195 pounds, so I didn't think it'd be too much of a drop. Even if I succeeded, I didn't have any intention of maintaining weight that low for the long term. With that in mind, I wanted to limit my alcohol intake. Beer, though delicious, is not conducive to weight loss on the whole. So, it made sense to see if I could give it up to meet my goals. I understand that this is a very short time period to examine any results and that overall fitness is measured on a grander scale, but my body had a similar reaction the last time I put major emphasis on long-distance running. Simply put, I gained weight. I'm a fairly predictable creature of habit, and I eat very similar things on a week-to-week basis. Last challenge, I tended to lean more toward the 192-195 pound range, and this challenge has been more toward the 196-200 pound range. However, I have not noticed any dips in my performance. On the contrary, my running is the longest and strongest it's ever been, so I really don't have much to complain about. 

 

With all of that said, I ended up having a planned day during this challenge where I allowed alcohol, and then I got right back to it for most of the week after. Well, I also had a couple beers on Thursday and Friday of this week, so, I didn't manage to stay dry the entire time. This is the second challenge where I've had a quest that centered around alcohol. I had slightly better success the first time around than this time, but I'm not terribly ripped up about the results. I was conscious of my actions the whole time, and it has definitely given me a lot to reflect on. 

 

First Quest: +3 STA +1 DEX (Pass)

Second Quest: +3 STR +1 CON (Pass)

Third Quest: +3 CON (Fail)

 

I've already started planning for the next challenge. It will be themed, but I am switching it up. I will see you all on the other side.

[SaltyDragon]

Good work this time, especially getting your long runs in. I wish you luck in your upcoming race. It's definitely smart to go easy the week before. I've watched you limiting the alcohol on the last couple challenges. I'm sure you have reasons for wanting to do this that I don't know, but I agree it doesn't make sense for weight loss. I recommend lots of running, weight lifting and vegetables for that! Anyway, it's good that you maintained awareness all the way through, and can see what is and isn't working for you. Definitely gives you some things to think about. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with next time!

[originalpiratematerial]

Brilliant challenge and good luck for Saturday! Sounds like your 11.7 mile run went really well, and that will give you confidence. Please let us know how you get on? And are you on the Rangers Facebook group? If not, please join! I find it a lot easier to keep up on Facebook than I do here for some reason.