Great to see We Are One 365  team member James Epstein, who is actually getting back to his normal, Slim, self. Keep up the good work buddy.

I was a little tired after the evening shenanigans with Mr. Epstein but it was well worth it. Sorry I’m not sorry that my brother and I completely took over his apartment. The night out on the town with some friends, well actually it was just one bar, was not exactly shall we say the most responsible night in regards to my training regimen. Nonetheless, it was definitely a workout. At least an ab workout.

Getting pumped for Saturday’s race in Boston so today and tomorrow will be very easy days preparing for that. Need to make sure my right foot is healthy in order to get a good time to start this indoor season. Rest and recovery are key

Hope everyone has safe travels home to their families or wherever you are going for the holidays. We Are One 365.

About a mile shake out run around my street circle.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

I somehow managed to get up early and run to the  bike trail that goes from Nashua, NH all the way down to Boston. Obviously, I did not go that far but I did manage to go about 5 plus miles out listening to some Marketplace on NPR on my ipod. It was pretty cold out but it was a nice change being all bundled up and not just short shorts. The run was alright. Good to get the legs moving for 70 minutes plus.

Went to the YMCA with my brother. Did about 20 minutes of erging and it actually loosened up my hip/groin area which was a new feeling. Then dominated him on the basketball court. From losing 7 games to him the other day, it felt good to pretty solidly defeat him in the first 3. Then he came back to win the next two which were very close. The 6th game was a fluke on his part as he was hitting the most ridiculous shots and knew that he had to win to stay alive (series of 7…obviously). The last game was tight and it didn’t help that I went down 4 to nothing early. But after I started making it rain, it was 5-4. Then the fouls started being called on things that we just let go the first few games. But like always, the last game is the most heated. Most comparable to this series would probably be the most recent match-up of the Lakers vs. Celtics in 2010. And just like that series, the kid from LA brings home the title today. Until next time…

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

I ran about 4 miles outside around my neighborhood. Foot was sore and groin was tight so I didn’t want to push it too much. I was stopped and asked by an old lady where “Hideaway lane” was on my way out. I grew up and lived in Hollis for 20 years of my life and have never heard of “Hideaway lane”. I couldn’t help her but I gave her a possibility of where it might be and continued on my run. She ended up hitting me as I was crossing the street on my way back….just kidding. I did end up seeing her on my way back and she said she couldn’t find it. I said “well, I guess its a true embodiment of its name.” She stared at me and  immediately drove away.

Got a massage later in the day. Waiting for my rematch against my brother on the basketball court. He is the worst.

Going down to Boston tomorrow for some meetings and to visit some friends. Great to be back.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Always nice to be back home. Combination of the cold weather, the california weather turning me into a wuss, and not working out til the sun already went down, I went to my high school to work out…inside…on a treadmill. Not the best especially because the treadmill was a very old school one.

3 mile warm up.

3 mile tempo run.

1.5 mile recover

1 mile fast

2 mile recover.

Felt alright but being inside, not being able to spit, and obviously a treadmill wasn’t the ideal condition. Played a little basketball with my brother afterwards. I’ll say it. He beat me but my lateral movement was limited due to my groin. Yeah, I said it. And I’m sticking with it. The amount of games we played is irrelevant and how much he won by is also not important. Brotherly love. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Easy 4 miles in the morning. Lots to do before I leave tonight to go back to New Hampshire. Wicked excited. A little over 90 miles total for last week. Will back off a bit this week and potentially for a race on Saturday at Boston University. Will let you know.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Saturdays, as all my loyal followers know by now, are the longer runs for my week. Normally anywhere between 14 and 18 miles but I was cautious today since this run two weeks ago was when my Achilles started to hurt so I didn’t want to, after two weeks of rehab with it, go through that again. So I only went out about 45 minutes then turned around and came back for a total of about 13 miles. Foot was starting to hurt at the end so it was definitely a good call to cut it a little short. I don’t mind uphills at all. But when you’re going uphill on slanted ground knowing that you’re going to have to come down this same slanted area, its not a feeling of joy. I just really dislike uneven footing and when its uneven and slanted, its the living worst. And this week was a pretty high mileage week (90) compared to last week (50) coming off a minor injury. In addition, this week was tough with three track workouts so it was definitely a smarter move to be careful today. The run was great though with some gorgeous views of Catalina Island and the ocean. The friggin Catalina Wine Mixer…

I will get about 4 miles in this afternoon before the Christmas Track Party.

The new site looks awesome. Well done Marena and Matt. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Started off with a 9 mile run up to the horse ranch place that I stumbled upon in the canyons. Not a lot of cars which was nice but a good amount of horse dung which was not good. Ran in a pair of shoes that happened to be pretty old and didn’t see one of the piles so that was an awful 30 min run back to my apt. Luckily, it was trash day so the dumpster was right outside and I, very quickly, added my shoes to it. Now it was a pretty warm day so I decided to take my shirt off before the run. It was one of my favorite running shirts because it was given to me from a friend who runs for the same track club as one of the best American distance runners in the country, Ryan Hall. And the shirt was the team’s logo. Anyways, I tied the shirt to the bannister next to the stairs going out of my apartment and when I returned after tossing my shoes away, the shirt was missing. There happened to be some repair men working on the apartment and I asked if they saw it. They said they did…about 20 minutes ago until someone came along and took it. I asked if they saw who took and they said yes but didn’t know who it was. Awesome!

Then I came up to the apartment, shoeless and shirtless, and wanted to take a shower. I checked my phone and saw that I had a text from my building manager. He wanted to inform everyone that there would be men working on a leak in the building so the water had to be shut off. No shower for me.

So I decided to make breakfast. After spending about 20 minutes on a pineapple and bacon chicken sausage, egg, cheese, peppers and pesto breakfast sandwich, I was ready to transfer it over to the bagel. As I was lifting it with the spatula, it slid right off and onto the ground. Normally (not saying this happens a lot), I would just wash it off and continue on. However, the water was still shut off. So I may or may not have wiped it off with a paper towel and continued to put it on the bagel. It may or may not have still been very good.

After breakfast, I rubbed my legs down with Bengay. I had to answer my phone and forgot about having some bengay on my hands still. Ended up touching my eye and getting bengay in it. Quick! Run to the sink and wash it out…oh right….no water still. Have you ever had bengay in your eye? I do not reccomend it. So yeah, awesome morning.

Ran 5 miles in the afternoon. Some tightness in the lower ab area but nothing to painful. 14 total on the day. In the canyons tomorrow.

We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

I felt great in the morning and went for a 7 mile run. Got some dynamic stretches in and was still feeling very loose. Used the rolling stick to massage out for about a half hour. Did some exercises to strengthen my lower back and loosen up the hip areas. Need to start getting back into the hurdle work.

We were back at the track for a 3rd time this week. I figured it was going to be short but I didn’t know exactly what Coach had in mind because, like always, he never tells us. So we warmed up for two miles. Did 6 x 150 to loosen up. Jogged a lap. Then 6 x 200 at, basically, an all out sprint (26/27 per 200). It took me about 100 meters to even get my bricks, I mean legs, to move. Very tight, stiff, and felt like I couldn’t possibly get my legs to go any faster. We jogged a half mile afterwards where I jumped over two hurdles. I really need to get back into hurdle work.

Nice cold ice bath, as I type. Other than trying to keep the computer from falling into the water, its not too bad. It definitely helps keep the mind off the cold.

Til tomorrow…We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

6 miles in the am.

PM practice at the track:

2 mile warm up

I figured it was time to tell Coach about how I was going to be going back to New Hampshire for the holidays. I was putting it off because he does not want any of us missing any days. So I told him. And he was not happy. Then we started the workout.

10 x 100m strides

6 x 150m

2 laps easy

3 x 400 m

2 laps easy

4 x 400 m

2 laps easy. I switched back into my trainers (regular running sneakers). Right as I finished tying them, Coach looked over and said, “You’re not done”. I realized that although the other guys were on their cool down and closing 100m strides, I was not done due to that fact that I would be gone next week. I smiled at him and he said, “We are having fun today”. Mind you, the previous 7 400’s were all sub 60 so it was a bit faster than even the hard workouts. I finished the 2 laps easy.

3 x 400 m

2 mile cool down with strides

Surprisingly felt pretty good during and after this workout. Joints and muscles felt strong and pain free. No complaints. Another day on the track tomorrow. Literally no idea what we will be doing. 3rd day this week on the track.

Lots of cool gifts out there this holiday season for the beginner or advanced athlete. One, for example (http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10851182&emssrcid=GoogleBase:PS10851182), is the rolling stick that I use everyday to massage the muscles. This is a very useful loosening tool and its travel size. Long car rides, visiting family over the holidays, present for the stiff athlete…easy to carry and use.

Can’t wait to see the new design for the site! We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

Jim asks: I’m about to start going to a gym in Austin. I weigh a little over 200 pounds and want to get back in shape. What workout should I do to do this for an hour, 4 days a week?

Pretty basic starting point for anyone who is trying to get into shape. Very important note. You need to be careful when you’re first starting out. For anyone who pretty much never had to worry about health or your body whenever you go out for athletic activities; consider the added weight and time spent out of a healthy lifestyle.  It would be in your best interest to start off slow. Even if your condition is really not that bad, if you were to go out and start doing 30 minutes of cardio followed by weight lifting and some other exercises, your body is not used to that type of action with the added body weight. Going all out right off the bat can cause injury and prevent you from accomplishing your goals sooner. Here’s a good plan of attack for starting out and getting back into a routine:

Day 1: 20 minutes cardio (run, elliptical, spin, bike, lessening the amount of impact on the knees is key because that is one of the more vulnerable areas for injuries when working out with added weight), followed by some core work (sit ups, planks, push ups, lunges, squats) and some very light lifting (no more than 25 pounds for curls or upper body work), ending with 5 to 10 minutes of cardio (walking) to cool the body down

Day 2: 15 minute cardio, 15 minute lifting (still light), 10 minute cardio

Day 3: 30 min cardio (total time…so take breaks if needed, encouraged actually), light core (3 sets of 10 push ups/pull ups/sit ups etc)

Day 4: 15 minute cardio, 45 minute lifting session (still light for starting out), 5 cardio cool down

Rest days in between (but make sure to listen to your body). That’s just a basic breakdown for a beginner getting back into working out. Attacking one particular activity or part of the body can be very risky and sometimes dangerous. Much better to have a much wider range of focus and work on all areas of the body.

Today I ran 3 miles in the morning and 7 miles at practice with an 8 mile bike ride and both body clinics. We Are One 365.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick