Bowulf Network Admin Blog

In this video, I answer a question of a past Atkins follower regarding recidivism and motivation. The question was how to regain the motivation to do Atkins again when it just “makes you want to purge.”

I respond with dealing with about what motivated me. I held a couple of different images in my head — negative and positive ones. The negative ones centered on what the weight and fat meant to me — being kicked off amusement park rides or having to shop for cars with the greatest gut room. The positive ones kept varying as new opportunities kept arising - like reenlisting in the National Guard, running the Living History Farms race, or something as simple hiking with the kids. The second half is surrounding yourself with others who know you and know your trials. They can commiserate with you, challenge you to do better, or celebrate in your successes.

Finally, internalizing the motivation rather than relying on external pressures is only way to success. External pressure will never be enough to turn down the chocolate because those motivators aren’t always around. You however always are.

Technorati : Atkins Diet, Carbohydrate, Fitness, Low carb, Motivation, Recidivism, Success, Weightloss

Yesterday, I did my first race since the start of the year and suffering all my knee problems. It was the Drake Relays “on the Road” Half Marathon. I was probably least prepared for this half marathon than any of the past 4 half’s that I have ran due to those aforementioned problems and lately time commitments. In the last few months, my mileage has only been 15 to 23 miles at the most.

My expectations were therefore much less for this half than for my last one, Sioux Falls Half. Rather than shooting for a sub 1:42:00 PR, I was simply gunning for at least less than 2 hours and at best beat last year’s running (1:49:44). With that in mind, I set out Saturday morning that was plenty windy and chilly in the open. I was sorely tempted to do only the 8k with my wife and daughter even as I ran down Kingman Blvd, but as I turned the corner on Polk Blvd, I resolved to not back down from the challenge. My thoughts were of Laura and Tasha as I continued down the road, and I wished them the best in my head.

In the first 5 miles, which blazed by in an average 7:35 min/mile last year, I averaged a consistent 8:02 min/mile. At this point, the race begins the hills and toughest section of the course. Last year, I really felt the earlier fast miles and walked on the uphill sections. Overall at the end of the race, I felt like I ran a bad race as I went from speed to walking, and I just never settled into a good pace. This year was to be different. Whether it be due to P90x sometimes grueling workouts or last year’s training to the marathon, I was determined to be a stronger, more determined runner. In the final 8 miles, I ran 5 of them faster than last year. I did not let the hills get to or “own” me.

I did not however beat my time of last year. I finished the race in an official 1:52:03 and was ran the final tenth mile by Tasha. She finished her 8k in a faster average time per mile than she was able to run one mile in the beginning of the year. More importantly, she had a great time and is looking forward to the next opportunity to race. Here are the relevant photo galleries of the Half Marathon:

• I was photographed by the Des Moines Register twice: here and here
• Here are the race photos I posted on my online photo gallery.

# Week 2 P90x Quick Results

• 2 pound lost from week 1 (1 pound overall) - Cautiously optimistic
• 5 1/2″ lost last week - nearly 8″ lost since beginning
• Body Fat Percentage (based on measurements) dropped about 4% (dubious, but at least heading in the right direction)
• Did all videos - missed 1 AbRipperX
• I did 3 runs of 13.25 miles and biked nearly 6 miles

Technorati : Atkins Diet, Drake Relays, Half Marathon, Low Carb, P90X, Running, Youtube

This week’s RunnersLounge Take it and Run Thursday is to provide Running Insights in 13 words. Here is my attempt, which admittedly is a bit broader in perspective:

“Status quo is never enough. Keep pushing yourself to new goals and heights.”

As one of my coworkers would say, I am a bit of adrenalin junkie where staying the same rarely seems desirable. I picked a career where status quo only means you are regressing as industry change overtakes you. I spent nearly ten years doing that with my body — accepting that what was happening was good enough. Now I remain committed to see just what my new body can do and can look like. From Fireman’s training to pushing for a new marathon PR, it is not accepting the past that is going to drive new levels of fitness. That may not always be a new PR, but it does mean that you can push yourself in new arenas.

Technorati : Atkins Diet, Bowulf, Drake Relays, Half Marathon, Low Carb, P90, P90X, Race, Running

In the past when I have made Youtube videos, it was always on subjects I knew or at least thought I knew well.  I am however starting a new line of videos on a different topic entire, P90x.  I am certainly not an expert in this or many of the exercises I and my not very flexible body are doing or trying, so these are more community or documenting my progress videos than advice videos. 

At this point, there are days I am completely frustrated.  Some of the exercises are easy and I am matching the level of weights the guys are using on the screen.  Others like the YogaX, I am just struggling to even have faint resemblance to what is happening on the video.  It is TOUGH!  There are other videos like Legs and Arm Video that my right healthy leg is fine on the squats, but the left (sore) one is still dogging it. 

In fact that is one of the reasons I am starting the video series.  I am hoping that as I build specifically my core and my extremities strength that lingering injuries will go away.  That does not mean that initially the process will be entirely pain free.   I am still running as well on top of the video series, but I anticipate my weekly miles will struggle to be above 25 miles.  I am doing the hour long videos at "O dark 30" each morning with the wife, so she can get showered, fed, and off to work by 6:45 am.

It should be an interesting next 90 days to say the least. 

This is just a general update on what has happening as of late in the Altena household and at work. From a certification standpoint, I have a bunch of new letters behind my name. (I have stopped counting at this point how many there should be.) First, I finally received word about my 71-646 exam that I took back on January 30. It may have taken nearly 2 months to get word back, but I passed! What this means I have again the highest certification that Microsoft puts out for server infrastructure. For those that did not take the beta, I’ll refer back to original post for things to study.

The second certification comes in the security field. It turns out that Trusecure was sold to Verizon Business by way of Cybertrust. Verizon Business did not want to continue the certification, so they sent out a letter to all cert holders. I nearly threw it away as just more mailbox spam. According to the website, “Please forward your completed application and a copy of your TICSA certificate no later than close of business May 1, 2008.” So if you got your certificate, you have less than a month now to complete the application and agree to the code conduct. I had almost forgot I still had this certification, especially since I hadn’t renewed it in the last 2 years. Sometimes it pays to open up random mailbox spam.

On the running and health front, I am back to running double digit miles on the weekend and in the 25 mpw range. I am discovering endurance comes back perhaps a little quicker though than speed. I am running every other day mainly right now, but my average speed is still generally in the mid 9 minute per mile range. I am hoping that my speed will return as the further the injury fades into the past and as my monthly mileage gets back into the 120-140 range. I have signed up for my first post injury - Non-runner Nancy’s 10k on the 10th. My short term running schedule is:

• April 26 -Drake Relays on the road Half Marathon
• May 10 - 10k on the 10th
• May 31 - Dam to Dam

In other news, I chose the red pill today…

Technorati : 70-646, 71-646, SSCP

One of the negatives of being a parent, firefighter, volunteer for everything under the sun, and IT worker is that sometimes you don’t get to meet a lot of people as you shuttle people to and fro from one activity to another or you are busy working in a group as soon you are done you have some place else to be. I was reminded of the joy of the communal aspect of running as I returned to the Capital Striders group run this week after many weeks off due to injury. I met many of my old acquaintances today and once again felt as part of the community. To that end, I wanted to make a listing of all the other opportunities to meet other runners in Des Moines.

The first and foremost way to meet other runners is to join Capital Striders. No other group promotes running as much as this group in Des Moines. From their promoting of races, annual potluck meetings, or coordinating groups runs, if you want to support communal running in Des Moines, visiting their website is the first step. Another way to commune with other runners is to find the places they’ll be. If they aren’t training, they are racing. The best race calendar for Iowa has to be Fitness Sports website’s race calendar.

Area Group Runs: (listed first are the ones you’ll likely find me — for better or for worse)

• Capital Striders Spring/Summer Saturday morning group runs — if you want more information, send a note to training@capitalstriders.org. It currently starts at 7:30 am and departs from Drake University’s Meredith Hall.
• Running Room - the new running store in West Des Moines (6305 Mills Civic Parkway) - holds a group run every Wednesday 6pm and Sunday morning 8:30 am.
• 04/01 - Curt and Nancy Hoegh start the C.S. Beginning Running Groups for this year in Clive at Campbell Park at 6 PM
• In the fall, The Body Project trainer Tim Ives has coordinated a Thursday night training group (June 22 through October 12) at Ashby Park in Beaverdale for the Des Moines Marathon.
• Thursday Zimm’s Run – Leave at 6:15 p.m. from Zimm’s Food and Spirits at 3124 Ingersoll. About a 6-mile loop on Grand and Ingersoll.
  Denny Wheeler, 255-6951
• Sunday Greenbelt Run – Meet 8:00 a.m. at the east trail head of the Clive Trail on 86th Street (behind the Grease Monkey). About 10 miles out and back. Pace is 6:30- to 8:15-minute miles.
• There are number of outside Des Moines group run possibilities at the Fitness Sports website.

I hope this post goes a long ways to dispelling the loneliness myth of the long distance runner at least in Des Moines. For with this schedule, if you can’t find a group to run with you aren’t looking hard enough. And if you are like me, you get enough of the inner self-talk when you run by yourself that having someone else around to distract you on a training run with conversation is a blessing.

Technorati : Des Moines, Running, clubs, communities, metro

In this part one video, I deal with another viewer comment on why do people not lose weight or suffer weight loss stalls / plateaus. The first answer is “is it really a stall?”, “Have you lost any inches not just pounds?”, and “Have you not lost in more than 4 weeks?” If you satisfy these above question, this video is for you.Here is the list of reasons that I go into in this video:
1.) Eating too many carbs (hidden carbs / underestimating)
2.) Under-eating - starvation mode dieting
3.) Dehydration
4.) Overeating
5.) Too little exercise
6.) Stress
7.) Food Sensitivities / Candida

In the next video I will touch upon your response. Here are some other good low carb resources:
http://lowcarb4life.sugarbane.com/sta…
http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html
They as well as years of helping others assisted me in making video. The second half of the video should be posted shortly, but the two together would have been too long. The second half deals with what how someone should react (or not react — if only I could taken my own advice while over-analyzing my own weight loss) to weight loss hesitations. I hope this helps anyone who is as frustrated as I was from time to time when the scale was not cooperating.

Technorati : Atkins Diet, Bowulf, How to, Low Carb, Obesity, Video, Weightloss, Youtube