Monday, January 17, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Cat Stares at Beard
The following link is an article about an experiment monitoring the reactions of cats looking at pictures of bearded men: Feline Reactions to Bearded Men
The validity of the study is unclear, so I decided to do the experiment with my cat Warren. He sees me every day and shows no interest in my beard so I used the Beards Against Blood Cancer logo. Here are the results:
 |
| 1. Indifference; 2. Feigned interest; 3. Sniff test; 4. Thoughtful analysis |
 |
| 5. Temporary hypnotic state; 6. Suspicious examination; 7. Where are the eyes?; 8. ATTACK! |
Conclusion:
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Fundraising Update: Half-Way There!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
XT
Saturday we had the first weekend team practice since December 18. At every Saturday practice there is a clinic before our long run. For example, the last clinic was a presentation by Marathon Physical Therapy. They talked about active warm ups and the importance of taking care of body parts like your interior something band and your anterior lateral something or other. It's all important stuff that I forgot almost immediatly after hearing it. No offense to the PT people, the information and presentation was great, but there wasn't much in the way of active participation other than a few stretches.
That all changed this past weekend when coach Kelly invited Cori Di Donato from Avalon Crossfit to lead us in some cross training excersizes. It was basically an all out boot camp training session. First she taught us all the moves, some of which were which were pretty basic like: push-ups, jumping jacks, air squats and variations of those. Then she showed us a full body power move called a "burpee." It basically involves going from a standing position to a prone position and back to a standing position very quickly. There's also a push up in there when you are on the floor. Here is a demonstration of one rep:
Simple but not easy. Now add sit ups and air squats or reverse lunges. Do 12 to 15 reps of each excersize in succession without stopping and call that 1 round. OK, do three rounds in a row without rest. The three rounds will only take you about 3 minutes and you will feel the burn. If wealth was measured in sweat you would be purchasing your second private jet by the end of a couple of 3-round sessions.
The end of my last round looked something like this:
After that little warm up it was time for the weeks long run. The schedule called for 10 miles but we were spared a full 10 because of the intensity of the 40 minute XT session. I finished 6 miles in the snow but it felt like a lot more.
Two days later I could move again.
That all changed this past weekend when coach Kelly invited Cori Di Donato from Avalon Crossfit to lead us in some cross training excersizes. It was basically an all out boot camp training session. First she taught us all the moves, some of which were which were pretty basic like: push-ups, jumping jacks, air squats and variations of those. Then she showed us a full body power move called a "burpee." It basically involves going from a standing position to a prone position and back to a standing position very quickly. There's also a push up in there when you are on the floor. Here is a demonstration of one rep:
The end of my last round looked something like this:
Two days later I could move again.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
That's A Lot of Candles
Help me celebrate my birthday by giving a gift to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Hills & Burritos 2: The Wrath of Don
Part 1: Hills & Burritos
Lured again by the promise of a burrito from Anna's Taqueria in Davis Square again, I drove to Tufts with my teammate Brendan for a hill workout. I wasn't exactly psyched at the prospect of running those hills again but I was interested to see if there had been any improvement in my fitness at all over the past two weeks. Hills are a good indicator of that. The increased effort on the hills increases your heart rate and your breathing rate.
After a slow 1 mile warm up with the other ten people that decided to freeze their asses off, the coach told us to run the same loop we had done at the last hill practice. But wait, there's a twist. This time we were told to "attack" the hills. I thought, "those are fightin' words" which immediately motivated me to visualize my own attack on the hills. It went something like this:
The assault on the hills went nothing like this but the motivation was there.
The loop we run starts with a shorter hill which I easily taught a lesson by stomping its midsection with my Asics. Over the next half mile I prepared for what would be the most painful portion of the night, the assault on the big hill. This hill is about a quarter mile long and it looks like the side of a mountain. It can surprise you as it comes just after a longer stretch of flat surface, then you take a sharp left onto another street and it looks like you are about to run into a wall, but that's the hill. Fortunately I had my game face on.
Can you imagine this running toward you at night? Super scary.
The first loop was a cinch and I figured I had conquered my enemy. I could already taste the salsa and guacamole, fundemental elements of my reward for the evening. Filled with confidence I finished the first loop and started an attack on the first short hill section. "No problem," I thought. The arrogance had taken over and I was convinced of my athletic superiority.
Then came the second assault on the big hill. My hubris at an all time high I began punishing the hill at the bottom with high knees and a strong kick but I began to fade near the top. It was at this point that the game face began to transform.
Then it was over.
I crested the top of the hill just as my lungs were at their limit. The light headed feeling and jello legs forced me to walk for about 50 feet. Then when I felt a bit less dizzy I continued into a jog down the other side of the hill. The recovery took longer this time and I was now sweating even though it was in the low 20's. Tired but still upright, I got back to a consistent easy pace for the last 3/4 mile. We finished with a 1 mile cool down and we were done.
Revitalized by the promise of a warm flower tortilla bursting at the seems with flavors reserved for a king, I summoned my remaining energy for the night's next endeavor. I knew the super burrito at Anna's would require efforts beyond measurement but somehow I got the job done.
Overall, there was some improvement so I felt good. "Attacking" the hills is good mental preparation and I'm sure these workouts will help me on Marathon Monday.
Lured again by the promise of a burrito from Anna's Taqueria in Davis Square again, I drove to Tufts with my teammate Brendan for a hill workout. I wasn't exactly psyched at the prospect of running those hills again but I was interested to see if there had been any improvement in my fitness at all over the past two weeks. Hills are a good indicator of that. The increased effort on the hills increases your heart rate and your breathing rate.
After a slow 1 mile warm up with the other ten people that decided to freeze their asses off, the coach told us to run the same loop we had done at the last hill practice. But wait, there's a twist. This time we were told to "attack" the hills. I thought, "those are fightin' words" which immediately motivated me to visualize my own attack on the hills. It went something like this:
The loop we run starts with a shorter hill which I easily taught a lesson by stomping its midsection with my Asics. Over the next half mile I prepared for what would be the most painful portion of the night, the assault on the big hill. This hill is about a quarter mile long and it looks like the side of a mountain. It can surprise you as it comes just after a longer stretch of flat surface, then you take a sharp left onto another street and it looks like you are about to run into a wall, but that's the hill. Fortunately I had my game face on.
Can you imagine this running toward you at night? Super scary.
 |
| Motivating myself: "It's just you, me and the moon Big Hill. Let's do this!" |
Then came the second assault on the big hill. My hubris at an all time high I began punishing the hill at the bottom with high knees and a strong kick but I began to fade near the top. It was at this point that the game face began to transform.
I crested the top of the hill just as my lungs were at their limit. The light headed feeling and jello legs forced me to walk for about 50 feet. Then when I felt a bit less dizzy I continued into a jog down the other side of the hill. The recovery took longer this time and I was now sweating even though it was in the low 20's. Tired but still upright, I got back to a consistent easy pace for the last 3/4 mile. We finished with a 1 mile cool down and we were done.
Revitalized by the promise of a warm flower tortilla bursting at the seems with flavors reserved for a king, I summoned my remaining energy for the night's next endeavor. I knew the super burrito at Anna's would require efforts beyond measurement but somehow I got the job done.
Overall, there was some improvement so I felt good. "Attacking" the hills is good mental preparation and I'm sure these workouts will help me on Marathon Monday.
Fundraising Progress: Crunch Time!
Donations continue to come in slowly but surely. But it is crunch time now. There are 21 days left to meet the goal. We only need another $2,305. A $5 or $10 donation from 100 people could really blow up the beard here. Please forward this link to friends and family or post it on your facebook page or website. Any additional exposure for the cause would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)