NEW DIRECTIONS

OK...I am taking a slightly new direction in how I want to hit my running goals.  With this new direction, my little blog here is going to transform a bit as well.  I love life.  I love running.  I love writing.  I have been floundering on how to combine these three things into blog form.  I may have hit on it.

I will be honest here.  Though I am a runner and though I run more often than the average person, I really am not in that great of shape.  See, your body gets used to using certain sets of muscles and looks for ways to operate those muscles as efficiently as possible.  This means that I can still be a runner and kind of fat at the same time.  Yes, I am pretty good shape...but no, I don't look like a skinny elite marathoner.  

I am not getting any younger.  I am 43 and I know that my shot at glory on the local race circuit could be a lost cause but that doesn't mean that I stop trying.  The speed starts to slip away and the older you get, the harder you have to work for it.  But I have set lofty goals for myself and I know that this year will have to include a different approach if I want to be successful.

I have ignored diet and I have ignored common sense.  Really, I eat like a stoned college dropout - yes, I am fully aware of THAT lifestyle...maybe I will talk about that another day.  My diet, though relatively full of healthy foods, has flaws and I eat wayyyyyy too much at most sittings.  My running has been enough to keep everything level but it has not been enough to push me to new levels of fitness.  An equally large problem for me is that I ONLY run.  I am pretty lazy on the rest of it...cross training, stretching, resting, blah blah blah.  

This needs to change.  I can't expect to change my results if I don't actually make changes.  Admittedly, the food thing will be the harder part but I am also committing to cross training.  More specifically, I am going to start working out.  

SO WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BLOG REALLY GOING TO BE ABOUT?

I am a dumbass.  I do things the wrong way.  I learn by making mistakes.  I figure that there are lots of dumbasses out there.  I also figure that there are probably lots of dumbasses that want to get into better shape.  Maybe people will benefit from my haphazard way of going about things.  I know a bit about running but know nothing about working out.  I also know a bit about eating right...I just don't apply that knowledge to my own life...yet.

With running, I was able to unlock a few secrets through my own experiments out on the roads and trails and also through reading obsessively on the subject.  I plan to take this reckless yet obsessive approach to new subject matter...working out.  I will write about what I am doing and how it is working in my life.  If I learn stuff the hard way, you can learn stuff the easy way...through my mistakes.  It will be fun for everyone.

SO - WHAT'S THE PLAN?

Well, the new name of this blog is KEEP IT SIMPLE, SVEN.  That is what I am going to try to do.  Keep it simple.  I am going to continue running, I am going to start working out, and I am going to start eating better.  Right now, I am just throwing miles in the bank.  It's cold outside and it is tough enough to get out for three or four runs a week without throwing in speed workouts and such into the mix.  Tomorrow I will start working out and eating better...not today...it's Super Sunday and I am going to eat way too much food and drink a bit too much beer.

Tomorrow I work out...but what does that entail?  What kind of workout do I do?  My workout goals are to get leaner and stronger and less prone to injury.  I do not wish for bulk or to get bigger.  Weight loss would be ideal because the lighter I am the faster I will run.  I will begin CIRCUIT TRAINING. Not only is it higher reps at lower weights but it is also a quicker workout for the busy guy on the run.  The plan is to do this three times a week.  For the time being it is going to look something like this:

• Hit those QUADS - Squats
• Hit that ASS - Dead lifts
• Hit the PUSH - Incline Dumbbell Press
• Hit the PULL - Dumbbell Rows
• Hit that CORE - Exercise Ball Crunches
• A bit of cardio - 50 Jumping Jacks

My circuit will include 3 sets of 15 reps of each exercise (except the jumping jacks which will be 50.)  There is no rest between the sets...only at the end of the circuit.  After the jumping jacks I get to rest for a minute and take in some water.  Simple, right.

In the interests of full disclosure and so that I (and you) can see any progress that should occur as things go on, I will post up a couple of pics and my relevant stats.  Hopefully, a month down the road, we can say that things have changed.

There you go.  This is what I have to work with.  This is the clay.  Time to sculpt.

Relevant stats:

• HEIGHT - 5'9" no matter how much I work out, I will not make the NBA.
• WEIGHT - 173 lbs hope this changes...to, like, 150 lbs.  :-)
• BICEP - 14" that is at a flex.  not looking for more size but we'll see what happens.
• SHOULDERS - 45" once again, not sure how this will change.
• CHEST - 40" I am not a big dude so I imagine this will go up a bit.
• GUT - 39" looking to shrink this down.  fingers crossed.
• WAIST - 33" another area that should drop...I can see where the extra weight is.
• THIGH - 21" not sure if I am going to get bigger here or lean out.  time will tell.

So I have my starting point.  This is where a new adventure begins.  Looking to the future, I am hoping that this means healthier running with a leaner and meaner body.  PRs and looking great for bikini season...what more can a guy ask for?