5x5

Don't let the title of this post confuse you - 5x5 is not a new hamburger or something crazy like that.

I've decided to start using Bill Starr's 5x5 weight-training program to help me continue develop my strength and frame. It focuses on a lot of the core-strengthening exercises with an emphasis on whole body movements like the squat and deadlifts. Its called the 5x5 because you do 5 sets of 5 reps for each exercise.

I did my first workout with this program this morning and it felt great! The program has built-in ramping of weight during each set and it makes you push yourself. I know that I had some pretty good breakthroughs today. Sometimes, I feel like I'm running into mental blocks with my weight choices, so it's good to have a program that makes you move forward. Plus, the thought of only doing 5 reps is less intimidating than the standard 10-12 reps.

I'll post more on my progress, but right now I'm really happy that I made the switch to the 5x5!

Upcoming Events

So, I went a little crazy with my Active.com account and have registered myself for a variety of upcoming events. They just make it too easy to sign up for a lot of events at the same time!

• 9/10/06 - Los Angeles Triathlon: The LA Tri is doing something new called the "bike wave". Basically, you can just ride the bike portion of the full triathlon. The cool thing is that according to the schedule, the cyclists will start right after the pros, but before the amateurs. So, I'll have a chance to be on the course with some of the best triathletes in the world. I'm sure that I can't even hope to hold their wheel, but it should be fun nonetheless!
• 9/24/06 - Nike RunHit Remix: I'm not quite registered for this one because the registration opens on 8/1 (Nike - what's up with that?). But I'm going to register as soon as its available because this one is basically a running party. I'm really looking forward to this one. I'm not looking forward to the run because 5 miles is such an odd distance, but a finisher's medal is always nice.
• 10/15/06 - Long Beach Marathon - Bike Tour: I debated doing the Long Beach Half-Marathon as a warm-up for the Las Vegas event. However, I just can't pass up the bike tour. Any time you get a chance to ride a closed-course in Los Angeles, you just have to take it.
• 10/15/06 - Long Beach Marathon - 5k: Yes, you read that right, I'm going to attempt to do 2 events in one day! The bike tour starts at 6AM and the 5K doesn't go off until 8:30. So, I figure that gives me about 2 hours to do the bike and then 30 minutes rest until the 5K. I don't expect to put together a fast time for the 5K, I'm just doing both events for fun and as an endurance test. The LA Tri will give me a confirmation that I can cover 26 miles in 2 hours (pretty sure that I can do that). My only concer with this is that I'll have to find a secure place for my Cervelo during the 5K. I just love my bike and I know I have a desirable color, so I gotta figure something out that will let me run the 5K without fretting about the safety of my bike.
• 12/10/06 - Las Vegas Half-Marathon: What was I thinking? My hubris got the best of me and it had me thinking that I can run 13 miles. So, I committed to the Las Vegas Half-Marathon. It's a done deal - I paid for it, I have my vacation request in at work and I'm finalizing my travel arrangements. All of my friends are having the funniest reactions to me doing this. The best reaction was from my personal trainer, "13 miles, huh? Bring a magazine".

My first 5K!

Today I completed my first 5K! It has been more than 10 years since I've participated in an organized race and it felt great! One of the smaller cities in LA had a weekend festival with a decent 5K course to start the weekend. There was very easy parking and the registration was quick.

I ran with a friend until the 2 mile mark. At that point, I took off and managed to post an 8:52 for the last mile. I know that's not an impressive number, but I was so proud of it because it's probably been more than 12 years since I could post a mile time like that. Considering that it was 2 miles into the race and a little warm out, I might be able to go faster than that in a 1-mile time trial. My final time for the 5K was in the 34s, but the important part is that I finished and had a great time. The organizers didn't buy enough water, so they ran out of bottles in the finish area, but otherwise, it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Everyone is Free . . .

I have always heard how finding good running efficiency & form is so much better and easier when you run barefoot. Obviously, barefoot running has its followers, but I wasn't quite ready to go that far. Enter the Nike Free.

I haven't really been a fan of Nike shoes. My last pair of Nikes was a pair of high-tops well before the whole "Nike AIR" phenomenon started. I've always thought that Nike was made for the lighter runner and even at 225, I couldn't see myself in a pair of their running shoes. But, I have read many good things about the Nike Free and wanted to work on better form without going completely barefoot. On top of that, I always thought that previous versions of the Free looked a little goofy. But the current Free 5.0 V2 is actually a pretty good-looking shoe.

So, I went to the nearby Niketown during my lunch break and bought a pair. They felt pretty good in the store and I could tell a difference right away. I wore them on a 3 mile training run that night and they felt good. I can see why you need to have another pair in addition to the Free (they shouldn't be your primary training shoe) especially since I run down hills quite a bit.

Overall, the shoes feel great and I will use them on my shorter training runs. I'm not sure exactly how much it's helping my form, but it's definitely making my foot-strike feel better.

The Joy of Cervelo

I took advantage of some of the Fourth of July sales in area and invested in a brand new bicycle. I had been researching bikes and I finally settled on the Cervelo Soloist. In case you don't know, Cervelo is a Canadian company that makes top-notch bikes for both cyclists and triathletes.

Based on the advice of a friend that also rides, I went with the aluminum model and not the carbon frame. I had a heck of a time finding a frame in my size (58cm) but when I did, I hit the jackpot! I had a very good salesman that went hunting down a 58 in the warehouse - he came back and told me that they had one but it was red. "Red? Cervelos dont come in red!", I replied. So, he left to get it and show it to me. While he was gone, I realized that I was wrong - the limited edition color for the Soloist is indeed red. It also has a special decal design distinctly different from the standard Soloist. So, not only did I get a beautiful new Cervelo, I have one of the limited edition models and it's awesome! I know that the NY Met sometimes puts ordinary objects in its collection, based on design; the Herman Miller Aeron chair is one of them. I'd love to see them consider the red Soloist - it's truly a work of art.

Given that it was 10% off the standard retail price, I had to have the bike. I picked it up today and they ran me through a pretty good fitting. All of the sales guys were admiring the beauty of the bike and were surprised that it was a Soloist since everyone is so used to seeing a Soloist in black. This is my "Pee-Wee Herman bike" - if something happens to it, I will go searching the ends of the earth for it.

It's probably more bike than I need, but I want to make a solid investment and have something that I'm going to enjoy riding . . . just call me Fred :)

Why Athlete 395?

I know that this blog has a unique name and it's in no way intended to be a mystery. In fact, I'm quite happy to share why this blog is called Athlete 395.

On September 17, 2005, I weighed in at my all-time highest weight of 395. Don't believe me? That's me in the picture on that day.

I had a hard time comprehending my weight and it made me realize all of the downright horrible habits that lead to that weight. So, through an online program, I put myself on a strict liquid diet program to completely transform my body. I managed to lose over 165 pounds - I've been as low as 219 and currently weigh in at around 225. Needless to say, this is quite a difference for me and how it makes me feel.

One of the horrible habits that I had was that I was much too sedentary; I simply didn't move my body enough. I was the stereotype of the fat computer geek that loved to eat pizza. Now, I focus on leading an active lifestyle and eating whole foods. I'm back into running and I have managed to rediscover my passion for cycling.

The bottom line for me is that I must keep active and keep myself exercising. I've changed my eating haits quite a bit, but the most important part remains my physical strength and activitiy. On top of that, the new weight allows me to partake in a variety of new activities that I simply couldn't do or wouldn't feel comfortable doing at 395. That's what the closing picture shows. This picture is of me in Colorado while on a crew team for RAAM 2006. I had always wanted to participate in RAAM and I finally had that chance in the summer of 2006 and it was a fantastic experience.