What Makes You Come Alive?

5.09

I've posted before about 2018 being a big year for me. Yesterday was part of the celebration. A couple years ago I first understood what an obstacle course race was, and I learned of the Spartan Race. Spartan Races have become the top obstacles course races world-wide, with the goal of ripping 100 million people off the couch.

With lots of doubt and misgiving, I put a Spartan "Sprint" on my calendar for 2016, and had this passing thought about a stretch goal of doing a Spartan "Trifecta" to celebrate my 50th birthday. For the Trifecta, you need to complete a Sprint (~5 miles), Super (~10 miles) and Beast (~15 miles) race in the same calendar year.

At the time I remember thinking, "well...that's a dumb goal, because there's no way I'll ever be physically fit enough to do it..." Fast forward through a couple hundred of miles of running, thousands of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping rope, planks, and eating a diet of real food, and I had gained the confidence to sign up.

I admit I was a bit anxious going into it. Some of the obstacles are really strenuous. Lifting, climbing, jumping, numerous monkey-bar obstacles, cargo nets... and lots and lots of mud. To me, these races are truly awesome.

What are some of the results of this journey? One of the ones I'm most grateful for is that a couple years of focused diet and training have kept me out of trouble. I have very little time, interest or bandwidth for anything that didn't invest in my faith, my family, my work and my fitness. Very cool, and that's the kind of unintended results I like.

So, do you have to go do some crazy mud-run for your wellness journey? Absolutely not. I don't know why, but obstacle course racing brings the best out in me. I love the intensity of training, the challenge of finishing, the exertion of participating. There is, no doubt, a wellness challenge you can grab onto that will make you come alive and keep you out of trouble. Find it, and it may change your life for the good..

By the Way

Catching my breath after the race

Fought hard for this one...

The race yesterday was the 13+ mile Spartan Beast on the ski slopes of Mountain Creek Resort in northern NJ. Wow was it an experience. 31 obstacles later, I finished in 5:04:09. The five hours took me up and down the mountain about 8-10 times for a total elevation
gain of 4,600 feet. I think another Beast race will be in my future... someday.

Running Hot

5.08

I ran my first half-marathon of 2018 yesterday. It was an awesome day... turned out really hot for mid-April, but no matter how you look at it, it was a great day.

It was the Garden Spot Village Marathon, Half-Marathon and Kid's Marathon. Our daughter ran the Kid's Marathon on Friday night (and I ran with her for the 1.2 mile finish on her 26.2 mile journey.)

Yesterday there were over 800 runners for the marathon and half-marathon, through the Amish farms and farmlands of eastern Lancaster county. It is a well-run, fun day, and celebration of an active lifestyle and supportive of runners of all ages.

I have one or two other half-marathons I plan to do in 2018, as well as a number of Spartan Races and other timed workouts... all as part of my 2018 celebration of being 50. Yesterday was a wonderful start, and it's going to be a great, active year!

How about you? What's on your calendar?

By the Way

Even though I trained well in late winter and into the spring, the heat yesterday really took the starch out of me. I probably started out too fast, and the GSV course is hilly, and a number of the hills are long and slow. At about halfway, I realized I needed to tone it down, or risk not finishing because I was just going too hard. The result? I walked several times during the race (something I had never done before) and still finished with a PR of 10 seconds faster than my best GSV time from a couple years ago. It was a great morning of running!

New Hardware!

5.07

Sometimes you need an upgrade (or at least your wellness toys need an upgrade.)  I have had some form of a pedometer or Fitbit for probably 8 or so years. My most recent was a Fitbit Blaze, and while it still works, it was getting a bit tired. Two issues with the Blaze is that it isn't waterproof, and doesn't have on-board GPS (you need to have your phone along to sync your workout in real time.)

In search of something next, I shopped a bunch on line and just wasn't satisfied with what I was learning about new Fitbit trackers. So when a business acquaintance and I were talking all-things-running, and I saw his Garmin Forerunner, I thought, hmmm, I need to give that a closer look.

What I learned is that while not quite as popular, the Garmin trackers tend to be more robust and offer better data collection for your workouts. As a trained engineer, I like to make things objective. Numbers don't scare me, and drawing trends from data seems like a good thing to do.

So I got myself a new Forerunner 235. I've really enjoyed it, and while I'm still learning and digging out more content from the data collected, it's been great so far.

My Garmin has on-board GPS, tracking my runs accurately without having my phone along. And it's water proof. Both beneficial to my half-marathons and Spartan races. It is great to see the data gather in the background, and know that the more I workout, and the more details I capture, the better I can draw conclusions about how I'm doing.

As they say in business, what is measured can be managed. Look into some objective measurements in your wellness journey, and event think about stepping it up a notch. Your future self will be glad for how you managed your efforts.

By the Way

One of the great things about the Garmin trackers / watches is that there are all kinds of cool widgets and watch faces you can customize to. You also have options for how your workout data is collected, and what you see on the screen during your workout. I'm still having fun personalizing my new tool.

Max Your Workouts

5.06

If you are investing in your wellness lifestyle, in your pantry and your level of activity, you will certainly benefit. I've been investing in my pantry choices for about 8 years, and every year I move the needle in a positive direction.


And my physical fitness keeps improving as well. Just being intentional about wellness will make a huge difference, if we'll simply do the work. Something I pay a bit of attention to is my VO2 max. This is a technical, physiological measure of our body's ability to absorb and use oxygen (measured in ml/kg/min.)

The better your aerobic health, the higher your VO2 max will be. Think of it as the efficiency of your circulation system 'plumbing'. Check out this article from Runner's World for a good explanation:
Runner's World on VO2 max

I've had a FitBit Blaze for a couple years, and it does a fairly good job of approximating things like VO2 max (using heart rate and stamina stats within long periods of exertion). My VO2 max? 54-58, which for an old guy like me is in the excellent (some even say 'superior') category. It simply means I can sustain a long, intense workout without 'hitting the wall'.

What does this really tell us? There are objective results from your wellness journey. Some days you may feel like you're doing all this work and not getting very far. But if you can track some simple parameters (like VO2 max) you're likely to learn that there is good coming from investing in your wellness.

So keep at it. Get to the gym, or out on the road. Stock up on some great food. Challenge the way you've always looked at your diet and your exercise - step it up this week. Register for a great race or workout which will really challenge you. And soon enough, you'll make progress that you couldn't have imagined when you began.

By the Way

There are great charts on VO2 max available online. Check these out and see where you are, and then work on a means to measure and track your own VO2 max (like a fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor).
Why I Exercise - charts

YOUR Adventure!

5.05

It's time. No more excuses and no more delays

There is an adventure you have been considering and putting off, I know there is. It's time to put it on your calendar and get to it. Research it, sign up, tell a couple dozen people your plans, or gather a team to pursue the adventure with you - do whatever it takes to step up your personal commitment to your goals.

I am in the middle of a great adventure for 2018. I turn 50 this year, and a couple years ago, when I first followed Spartan races and decided to do a Sprint, I had this crazy, huge goal of doing a Spartan 'Trifecta'. This is a combination of a Spartan Sprint, Super and Beast race all in the same calendar year. At the time I thought, what a great goal for when a turn 50... I should do that.

So here we are, and true to my convictions, I'm signed up. I'm thrilled to turn 50 this year, and have decided to enjoy all of 2018 to celebrate. At this point I have the 3 Spartan races on the calendar, and at least 2-3 half marathons. I'm totally psyched!

How about you? You have an adventure right in front of you which you haven't committed to yet. It seems big, maybe too big, and challenging - certainly too challenging to tackle yet... But the truth is, you have everything you need to fulfill this new adventure, thrive in it, and take your wellness further. Who knows, maybe it will turn your life in a whole new and improved direction.

Commit today. Sign up. Train or research or learn whatever you need to. Whether your doing a new purge of your pantry, or tackling new and unique exercise challenges, it's time to get to it. And tell a bunch of people - that creates accountability. If you don't spread the word, you leave a back door to bail out. But once you have shared your adventurous plans with a dozen or so people, you will have created enough social pressure to help you see it through.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out to share your latest adventure

By the Way

While pursuing big adventures, you also have smaller ones. I was out on a great run this morning on a rail trail near my home. The trail will eventually connect our town of Lititz, PA with the neighboring town of Ephrata. I learned this morning that a whole next leg of the trail is now cleared and graded in! While not finished, I enjoyed a mini adventure today of running on this new stretch of trail for the first time.

Kombucha to the Rescue

5.04

A healthy gut goes hand-in-hand with a healthy body and wellness lifestyle, and one of the healthiest forms of food we can consume are fermented / cultured ones. I have eaten yogurt on and off my whole life, and like many Pennsylvanians, enjoy pork and sauerkraut at New Year's day every year. These common menu items reflect the benefits found in numerous fermented foods.

A fermented all-star, which is gaining significant attention in recent years, is kombucha. This fermented tea develops a light carbonation and a slight acidic bite, along with a sophisticated flavor profile. And the benefits to our health are numerous.

Kombucha (pronounced  kawm-boo-chah) is an ancient beverage, known for its significant health benefits, and enjoyed in eastern Asia for over 2000 years. It is commonly made from black or green tea, a bit of plain sugar, and an active starter culture, referred to as a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast).

It is this colony of (healthy) bacteria and yeast which give kombucha its health-power. There are numerous gut-friendly probiotics in kombucha, as well as healthful levels of acetic and lactic acid. Kombucha has proven helpful with boosting immunity, improving gut health, being high in antioxidants and B vitamins, and supporting heart health.

Check out this great overview of kombucha from a Lititz, PA-based brewer, Renewal Kombucha:
Renewal Kombucha FAQ
And for some further reading, see this article from Dr. Josh Axe on the many benefits of kombucha:
Dr. Axe - Reasons to drink Kombucha

By the Way

There are plenty of bottled kombucha options at many grocery stores. Look for unpasteurized varieties, as pasteurizing would defeat the the beneficial bacteria culture.

Store-bought kombucha can be pricey ($3-$4 a bottle) so you could consider brewing your own at home. It's kind of like hard cider, and very simple to make if you are patient and careful with your ingredients.

A Boost for Your Pantry

5.03

No matter our health status, we can always positively improve. One of my favorite health advocates has become Dr. Josh Axe - www.draxe.com. Have a look at his website, and his YouTube channel - great stuff all around.

In cruising his website today, I found a post on 8 Foods that Boost Productivity. That sounded like a pantry-improving opportunity, so I read on. Sure enough, I'm already enjoying some of his suggested superfoods, and others have been past nutrient-dense favorites of mine.

The list includes pantry champs like almonds, broccoli, green tea and eggs... all nutritional super-stars and beneficial for our wellness journey (and productivity.)

Check out Dr. Axe's article here:
8 Food that Boost Productivity & Why

By the Way

Always keep an open mind and healthy perspective on boosting your pantry. Remember the guidance of Michael Pollan:
Eat [real] food
Not too much
Mostly plants