Sorry guys, I woke up this morning and realized I missed posting last night.  My apologies, it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying.  Ran a real nice seven and a half miler last night after work.  I didn’t intend to do so much, but I veered from my usual course and just kept on running.  I was quite happy with myself when I got home.

Entering into the final month of the 365 day challenge.  Keep doing so well everybody!  I know you will.

See ya next week!

-Derek

It was another scorcher here in Los Angeles this past weekend.  It doesn’t look like it is gonna subside anytime soon either.  It is supposed to be 102 degrees in the valley tomorrow.  Good grief!

I waited until 8:30pm to go on my nightly run, but even after sunset it was probably 75 degrees. Old Derek would’ve had an easy excuse to cop out on exercising but I’m happy to say I trudged on and did a full 4 miles. I was very proud of myself.

Hope the rest of the nation is cooler than here!  But if it isn’t, push through it!  It’s worth it.  If I can do it, so can you.

Get in some good workouts this week 365-ers! See you next Monday!

-Derek

Day 324 already!  Can you believe it!  Closing in on a full year of working out every single day.  Pretty spectacular.  Outside of the Karwoski brothers, I’ve never met any of the other team leaders, but following everyone’s blog everyday has really gotten me motivated to exercise and push myself to the limit.

Still running hard, jumping rope, and putting the iron gym to the test.  My next race, the Los Angeles Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon, is about a month down the road, so I’ve been working hard to get in shape.  Today I ran three and a half miles before work, which got my heart pumping and the endorphins flowing for the day.

Keep working hard everybody!  See ya next Monday!

Happy Monday, one and all.  I hope everyone had a fun and active weekend!  Upon the recommendation of a good friend of mine, I went out and bought myself a jump rope yesterday.  I remember as a youngster my sisters and I would spend hours outside jumping rope with the other neighborhood kids. In fifth grade I even organized a Jump Rope For Heart team and competed in the school competition.

It seems like jumping rope has gotten a lot harder since then.

I used a light weight speed rope and did a fifteen minute circuit.  I’d jump as long as could then do 30 push-ups, 30 sit ups, 50 bicep curls with my 10lb free weights, and then repeat.  I finished my full fifteen minutes but man was I tired out afterward.  I pushed myself to do my usual 3 mile jog afterward and really felt my muscles screaming at me.  The sign of a good workout.

I’ll let you know how my jumping goes over the course of the week!  It can only get better!

Check you next week!

Hey 365ers, happy Monday!  I just saw on our facebook page that WAO is sponsoring an event September 21^st at the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers game.  If you’re in the St. Louis area you gotta go out.  Being from Milwaukee and having been raised a Brewers fan, I’d be hard pressed to ever cheer for the Cardinals, but Busch Stadium is one of America’s great ballparks and this is a phenomenal event.  It is from 5-9pm at the bullpen and is in support of financial literacy for active duty soldiers.  Check out our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-One-365/199566696781569 for more info.  And if you haven’t already, be sure to like the page- there’s lots of cool pictures and other info to supplement our regular site.

Got up at 6am and went for a 6.2 mile run before work.  It was an awesome way to kick start the morning and helped in dealing with the stress of the day.  I plan on going out again tomorrow morning.

Good luck with the workouts this week!  Stay strong 365-ers!

Happy Labor Day 365-ers!  Though the Los Angeles temperatures this weekend seemed to suggest otherwise, the unofficial end-of-summer has arrived.  Time to put away those white pants and start digging out the fleeces.

While I certainly had an enjoyable summer, I must admit to having a few pains of regret.  I played only a single match of tennis, went to the beach but a handful of times, rode my bike only sparingly, and saw a definitive plateau in my running.  Today I went out on a six and a half mile run and found myself tired and dehydrated afterward.  Granted it was a very hot day today, but last May, when I was at the peak of my marathon training, I would’ve just been hitting my stride at six and half, no matter the heat.  Sure, there’d be weeks during the summer when I’d be really good about working out everyday, but then I’d always manufacture an excuse to get away from it.  Somehow over the course of the last three months, I lost that addiction to exercise I had last Spring.

But I am optimistic about Autumn.  No more excuses.  I’ve got the Rock N’ Roll Los Angeles 5k on Halloween and then in November my mom and I are running the Malibu Half-Marathon.  And in 63 days, this blog turns a year old.  What a tremendous accomplishment.  I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of WAO365 and enormously proud of all the amazing work it has done for members of the armed forces and their families.  That alone serves as encouragement for me to step up my act.

So here’s to Fall.  I’m very excited for what’s to come.

See you all next Monday!

Hey 365-ers, happy Monday to you all.  I had a tough time getting back into the grind of the work week today, as I was coming off a really awesome weekend.  My roommates and I rented a cabin at Big Bear Lake for a weekend of fun-filled activity to cap off another great summer.

On Saturday we hiked a 4.5 mile trail that traced a small portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.  As an avid hiker and camper, I continue to nurture a long held ambition to hike the entirety of the PCT, and this gave me a nice little taste of what it is all about.  The PCT is a 2,000 plus mile trail that runs from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Ocean, with a chunk of it cutting through Big Bear.  The part we hiked was a pretty steep ascent up a mountain side, which provided breathtaking views at the peak.  I really hope someday I get a chance to travel more of the PCT, as this small portion of the trail left me completely amazed.

Yesterday we went to the lake itself and got in a little swimming.  It is no secret that I absolutely love being in the water, so taking a dip in such a nice lake was a real treat for me.  We found a semi-private little beach behind some empty summer homes and called the area our own. About a half mile or so into the lake there was a little island of rocks that we swam out to and climbed up on.  From the top-most rock, the drop was about twenty feet or so, and I, being the daredevil that I am, felt the need to climb up as high as a could and jump. It was a real thrill, let me tell you.  I musta done it 6 or 7 times before I ran out of energy.  I attached a picture my buddy took of the island.  I’m one of the people climbing to the top of the cliff there in the island closest to the bottom.

Thankfully today was a nice day in Los Angeles, so, in an effort to chase those endorphins I felt all weekend, I went for a little post-work jog.  It was nice to get out, but nothing compared to the weekend.

Alas, summer is over.  Next weekend is Labor Day, the unofficial beginning of Fall.  I welcome the changing of the seasons (football is starting up again!) but I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a little sad summer is nearing the end.  Gotta make the most of this week I guess!

Enjoy it!  Keep up the good work!!

-Derek

Good grief, it has been hot as blazes in Los Angeles the past week.  Now I know how the rest of the country felt all summer.  I waited until about 7:30pm when the sun was going down for my usual four mile evening run, but even then it was so hot out I got fatigued after about two.  I’m certainly longing for that awesome pool I had last week.

I recently got my act together and liked We Are One 365 on Facebook.  If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to make a point to do it.  You can find more posts and pictures from your favorite Team Leaders and links to videos, articles, and other opportunities to help the troops and their families.  Check it out!

Catch ya next week!

-Derek

While it isn’t quite the Euro-trip the Karwoski brothers are undertaking, I’ve been on a little stay-cation here in Los Angeles the past few days.  I’ve been house-sitting an awesome house in the Hollywood Hills with a great yard and an amazing pool.

Each night before I go to bed I do some laps followed by some relaxing in the hot tub.  It has been a nice treat and reminds me of how much I used to love to swim.  When I was a kid there wasn’t much you could do to get me outta the pool- I just loved being in the water.  I joined my neighborhood swim team when I was nine or ten and kept at it through high school.

These days I rarely get an opportunity to do it anymore.  Not belonging to a gym, I’m hard-pressed to find a pool to use.  But it is great exercise, and I’m always beat after a good swim.  One of these days, when I finally have the means to join a gym, I’ll get back into my swimming habits.

All right, time for my nightly dip.  See you all next week!

Hey 365-ers, happy Monday!  Back to the working week!  I found myself chained to my desk this weekend, but I still tried to enjoy any moments of sunshine that I could.  I wish I were basking in the European sun with the Karwoski brothers, but it is hard to complain too much with temperatures as nice as they have been here in Los Angeles.

Speaking of the Karwoski’s, after reading Team Friday’s post, I decided to give Nick’s challenge a try.  He proposed to make it a point to, twice a day, do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups of any kind.  I cut my goal in half, doing 50 of each set, but challenging myself in this way proved to be a great way to keep on task.  As I’m sure you’ve all realized by now, I only stay motivated when I have something to train for or a deadline to meet, and this has served as a perfect daily target.

So I’ll second Team Friday’s challenge; if you’re not already, try to get in at least two sets of 50 push up’s and sit ups each day, even if that is all you do.  I did my 50 of each this morning before work, I’ve gotta go do 50 more!

Catch you all next week.  Enjoy the end of the Olympics!

-Derek