Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023 (Read 573 times)

Cal - I'd take the story on that video with a massive pinch of salt.
Yes, if you exercise and start eating healthy food and cut out processed food, alcohol and sugars you will improve massively.
Yes, you can look very lean and have excellent posture.
Also, yes you can gain strength, there's a saying that "strength is the last thing to do", together with another saying "old man strength".
But things like Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) have side effects and possible long term issues, as with everything there are risks with using that.
Like I mentioned before, I'd rather look lean than buff. I know you want those beach muscles, they will come at some point, just stick with it.

On a separate subject, where are the Americans? Is there something going on in the US at the moment? It seems all the Americans suddenly vanished from this thread. Was there a holiday? Did uncle Vlad nuke them into oblivion? I thought I'd see multiple posts complaining about the orange sky ( I saw memes on 9gag ).

AQI 150-160+ I won’t go run.

edit:unless I have a year long streak goal in which case AQI 400 is okay for 15 minutes of extra easy effort.

AQI 150-160+ I won’t go run.

 

edit:unless I have a year long streak goal in which case AQI 400 is okay for 15 minutes of extra easy effort.

First part—same for me. Mostly out of an abundance of caution since I have asthma. 

Second part—it actually stopped my longest-ever streak of 250 days, in 2020. It would have likely kept going for quite a while, since the things that usually prevent me from running are (1) injuries, and I stayed remarkably healthy 2020-21 despite running my highest mileage ever of 3200+ miles both years, (2) I always take a few days off after a marathon, and there were none of those going on, (3) occasionally crazy travel schedules, and there wasn’t much of that going on. 

I’ve also tried to do my best to avoid being That Guy who responds to every complaint about the smoke with “oh yeah, we get one or two stretches of that every summer out west.” But of course we do, and I’ve seen a couple great memes to that effect.

 

Mikkey ....agree on the before and after pics.  I have a picture of myself pre-running that my kids kindly refer to as my "fat-dad" phase (over 200 LBs as a 5'10") but I'm happy smiling and holding a huge fish so it doesn't have the same effect.  By contrast I have another of me at about mile 20 or so in a marathon and I look remarkably pained and in agony......Go figure 

LOL!  Wow you must’ve lost a lot of weight to get into sub3 shape!  I’m also 5’10” and my heaviest weight was 12st 2Ibs (170) at 41yo just before I started running and wore 34” waist jeans. OMG I feel so embarrassed looking back that I let myself go like that as I’m a natural light build.  But it’s never too late to make “healthy marathon” changes in your life. 

Cal - I'd take the story on that video with a massive pinch of salt.
Yes, if you exercise and start eating healthy food and cut out processed food, alcohol and sugars you will improve massively.
Yes, you can look very lean and have excellent posture.
Also, yes you can gain strength, there's a saying that "strength is the last thing to do", together with another saying "old man strength".
But things like Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) have side effects and possible long term issues, as with everything there are risks with using that.
Like I mentioned before, I'd rather look lean than buff. I know you want those beach muscles, they will come at some point, just stick with it.

 

flavio - oh, I agree... all these replacement therapies, only if they are the last escape maybe? When your life really sucks and you need to do something to make it ok? No, I am going to do it the natural way.

Beach muscles? Ha-ha... No way - I started way too late to have beach muscles. But I am really excited that I started to do that - biggest thing the running showed me is that if you are persistent and smart and not looking for quick results, it pays off, the results should show up eventually. Though, I am so skeptical about results showing up - because never in my life I had even a slightest resemblance of the muscles on me - never. As I mentioned, I could not do one pullup in any year of my life.

Nothing unusual in Bay area re the skies or anything like that. Everything looks normal. Maybe the weather is cooler than usual but that is a good thing - 70-74 oF - feels so much better than 90-100oF

DavePNW - I know you are a smart person, I wish you all the best and hope that sooner than later you will start doing that. Better sooner.  You want delay inevitable decline in your quality of life in later years (Fishy - you too!). Start now. Honestly. I don't wanna sound like a smart ass, hope not, just wish all people close to my age to realize that. Ok, no more - sorry, don't want you to get me wrong

Mikkey - I am so bad at taking pictures... Any picture I take, I hate it, I like how I look but do not like my face - I still see myself in my 20s and my late 50s look really ugly

 

 I’m also 5’10” and my heaviest weight was 12st 2Ibs (170) at 41yo just before I started running and wore 34” waist jeans. OMG I feel so embarrassed looking back that I let myself go like that 

This is exactly me now.  Maybe more often around 167-168. But I was 160 lb when I reached my current height 40 years ago, so I don’t think I’m built to be less than that. I always thought I’d want to drop some weight to get faster, but I guess I don’t want to do so badly enough, if it means eating less. I end up dropping a couple pounds when I’m at 70+ mpw in marathon training, but otherwise I do a pretty good job of replenishing all the calories I burn. I’ve accepted that I do not have the ideal distance running build.

 

Weight training or supplements, diet etc:  I have started to do some weight training. Only because of my next race. I switched to a low carb/keto ish diet about 1.5 years ago. Killed my speed at first but did wonders for my long distance running. I am getting that sub 7 pace slowly.

 

Interesting... Maybe I should take another shot on trail running after 5-6 months of strength training Seriously... Your post made me really curious - I have never worked seriously on my strength and especially all body strength and legs strength. I wonder what it does to trail running specificity...

 I remember someone doing a marathon on this same track. Mikkey was it you? Tips on running at this venue?

I believe the only US race Mikkey ran was New York marathon. Plus - Mikkey and 24 hours running???? Ha-ha-ha...I believe I know whom you are talking about, I think it was  bhearn probably?