August In The Rear View Mirror

I went into August with the best of intentions. It was going to be a perfect month, helping me refocus on my health and fitness goals.

How did I do? I wasn't perfect, definitely. But I was successful in getting myself out of the slump I have been in for the last several months. I was good but not great with my eating. I can continue to improve that. I was great with my marathon training goals. I hit every scheduled run and got my miles completed. I can continue to do that.

Overall, I'm calling it a Win! Cheers to that!

Next up, September. I'm running the Aloha Run 5k, the Ragnar Relay in Napa, California and the Boot Camp Challenge at MCRD. 

Ready... go!

Sixteen Miles? Yeah, I Got This.

This is what was on my schedule:

This is what I ran:

And this is how I looked immediately afterwards:

Now, let's talk about how it all went down. Because it wasn't all pretty.

I knew the day was going to be a scorcher, so I made it a point to be out of the house and running before 6:30am. I expected the heat but I wasn't ready for the humidity. I mean, it's San Diego, and we just aren't used to weather like this.

The first five miles felt great. I could feel myself wanting to push faster, but after last week's run, I knew better. I chose to stay near my training pace and speed up at the end if I still had the energy.

The next five were tougher, mostly because of the heat. I was not hydrated enough and I wasn't carrying enough water. I know, rookie mistake. And by mile 8, I was in trouble mentally. I started thinking of a hundred reasons why I should stop.

• I'm too hot. I could be a heat casualty if I keep going.
• I made all my long runs this month. Quitting this one won't matter.
• I'm already exhausted. I won't make eight more miles.

It was one excuse after another, all "proof" that I needed to stop. And I almost did. Seriously, I nearly stopped short and quit. But then I realized, my body was not the problem. I was hot and thirsty, sure, but that wasn't my problem. It was mental. I was bored. I wanted to be done with my long run.

As soon as I realized what was happening, I was able to adjust. I started thinking about September, my running plans for the whole month, the marathon coming up in October, etc. I kicked around ideas for my Super Hero costume for Ragnar Napa, too. And it wasn't really about fixing anything or making any decisions. It was just about engaging my mind while my body ran the miles.

And it worked. I got myself through my half marathon distance and knew that I would be able to hang on and get my sixteen miles in.

Mile fourteen nearly did me in, though. By this point, I was way overheated and in need of a long water break. I did a quick water bottle refill and then decided to walk and try to cool down. A quarter mile later, I felt like I was as ready as I was ever going to be. I kicked it back into high gear and got through the rest of the run.

I'm proud of this run. Yes, I walked a quarter mile. So what? I am confident that if I had not taken the extended water break, I would not have been able to get through miles fifteen and sixteen. So it was a good decision that kept me from becoming a heat casualty.

I'm proud of this run because it was a clear mental victory. I realized that I was sabotaging my own success and I took control of my thoughts. Instead of reacting, I chose to consciously think my way through the moment.

If running truly is a metaphor for life, this long run was a moment of clarity. I can choose to quit or I can choose to go after what I want, but I can't do both at the same time.

And I have to say, getting what I want feels pretty damn good.

Perfect August? More Like, "Way Better Than Before" August.

Well, it's official. Perfect August has collapsed under the weight of this weekend temptation:

Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. Nom, nom, nom.

After my 12-mile run on Saturday morning, I was craving a burger. And when I stopped by Wendy's to grab some lunch for my husband, I gave in and ordered this delicious lunch for myself, too. And with that, Perfect August and my "no fast food" challenge came to a halt.

On one hand, I'm disappointed with myself. I enjoy this sort of intense, short-term challenges, and I know I could have been strong enough to stick with this one. On the other hand, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I made a conscious choice to eat and enjoy the burger, and that's that.

More important than failing my own challenge is my response now. The old me from years ago would fall into an all-or-nothing mindset, and now that the challenge is lost, fall back into old habits, stop going to the gym, and eat whatever junk I wanted in whatever quantities I wanted.

But I'm not that guy, at least not anymore. I don't have to be an all-or-nothing fatalist about it. Yes, I had fast food over the weekend. This morning, though, I took the time to prepare my snacks and healthy lunch and pack them into my cooler to bring to the office. And then I was right back at the gym and running the recovery miles according to my Marathon Training Plan.

Short-term challenges are fun and serve a purpose, and I am going to continue this one and have the best August that I possibly can. But I won't let a single meal send me into a tailspin. The bigger picture here is my overall health and fitness, and that cheeseburger really didn't impact that at all. And since I am right back on track, I will still have a fantastic August that I can be proud of.

I may not have a Perfect August, but I will still have a way better August than if I hadn't attempted the challenge at all.

PS: To my friends who are struggling right now with their own, "I messed up and won't reach my goals," issues right now, I offer this reminder. You are not your mistake or your slip-up or your occasional bad day. You are your commitment, dedication and determination. So start acting like it.

Perfect August, Meet Impulsive September.

Sometimes, I surprise myself.

A kernel of an idea takes hold and, before I know it, it's become a full-fledged plan. That's what happened today.

A great friend of mine from the midwest will be coming to Los Angeles to observe the Nautica Malibu Triathlon. And since she is coming all the way here to California, I decided that I would drive the two hours north to spend some time with her. I hadn't worked out the details, but the trip was a definite.

The vague became the specific quickly. It started with an email from an old friend to a few people, me and her sister included. There was discussion back and forth about an Iron Man Triathlon in Tennessee in 2014, and a plan for my friend to escape that craziness and head to Ventura, instead. And that led to talk of the Ventura Marathon.

From there, the marathon called to me and I answered. Now, I am officially registered to run the Ventura Marathon on Sunday, September 8th.

It will be a busy weekend, certainly. It starts with running the Aloha Run 5k on Saturday morning. After that, I'll spend some time at a birthday party Saturday afternoon, then drive up to Ventura for the night. Sunday morning early, I'll run the marathon. Then I'll head to Malibu, visit with my friend, and check out some of the action at the triathlon. Finally, I hope to meet up with a different friend and celebrate her birthday. A couple hours of driving home back to San Diego and that will be the end of my crazy weekend.

It's still kind of unbelievable to me, that I can decide on a whim to run a full marathon and have the confidence to know that I can do it. My life is so different today than it was a few short years ago.

And that's a good thing.

And we're back!

Well, my great weekend is over, and now I'm back. Or, as my friend Dawn explained, beer weekend blog amnesty is over.

First up this morning, the gym for a little warm-up run and some good strength training. Later today, a better blog entry. Let's have a great day, friends.

Perfect August, Day Eight Recap: "Getting In A Groove"

It's been a full week now (eight days, actually, as I'm writing this), and I have to be honest. I feel great. It's amazing what a break from junk food does for my energy. I had already been running again before the challenge began, but the combination of consistent exercise and healthier eating has already made an impact.

I'm sleeping better than I have been in months. I'm out almost as soon as I hit the pillow and, for the most part, I sleep through the night. I wake up ten to fifteen minutes before the alarm goes off and I feel refreshed and recharged.

I'm also noticing that my overall attitude is better. Starting each day with an hour of cardio or cardio/strength training helps me feel more calm and less stressed all day long. Maybe it's physical and maybe it's all just in my head, but who cares? It's working and I feel great. If a sweat-fest in the morning makes the rest of the day better, I'm in.

I'm remembering what it feels like to be in a groove, when physical activity is as much a part of the day as bathing and eating. And as I go about my daily routine, I like feeling the occasional muscle soreness as a reminder that, yeah, I kicked ass earlier in the morning.

Today is the eight day in a row of Perfect August, and I was on fire. I repeated Tuesday's workout (a mile warm-up run, a strength training circuit, and a mile run afterwards). The muscles were still store from the first go-round, but I stuck with it.

I won't be perfect forever, but this month is proving to be a great exercise in discipline and motivation. The fact that the scale is also moving in the right direction is just an additional perk!

(And yes, I did hit every goal today. And now, I'm off to bed.)

Perfect August, Day Seven Recap: "Tech This Out!"

It's the end of Day Seven of Perfect August, and I'm too excited about getting through the first week to wait until tomorrow to blog. Tonight I'll blog about the day, and tomorrow I'll write a recap of the month so far.

First, the checklist. I ate right, exercised, skipped alcohol and diet soda, drank water, stayed within my calories, tracked it all, and am blogging (again) before I get to bed and get a full night's sleep. (I think I listed everything, but if I forgot, no worries. I hit all the checkmarks today.)

Now, to the great stuff. Today. Wow, today. It was Cool-Tech-Day for me. First up was my new music app for running. It's called Rock My Run, and it's continuously mixed playlists with all songs by the original artists. They are all upbeat, fast pace, easy-to-run with songs and they are a welcome addition to the fitness music genre. Instead of remixed, remade, cheesy tracks sped up to near Chipmunk speeds, I can listen to real music that I know and enjoy. The best part? It's free. The app itself is free and many of their thirty-minute mixes are free. You can download one per month and you can stream many others. There is a premium option that I will probably choose, but for now, the free stuff is fine for me.

Even better than the music app was a new running program I found called Virtual Active. It is a first-person, forward motion video that lets you run courses, trails, and roads all across the world.

This is my iPad sitting on the treadmill just after my run. You can see that I was running on a trail, and the video kept moving at my own pace. If I ran faster, it went faster. If I ran slower, the video slowed down.

And this is what happened when I stopped running completely. The app said, "no exercise detected," and the motion stopped completely. It really added to the feel that I was running, in this case along the beautiful lakes and rivers of Northern Italy.

I will blog more about this application (and my new involvement with the company that is making it), but for now, I'll just say that running like this today made my five mile, nearly one hour run go by in a snap. I really was able to enjoy the "view" on my iPad and not think about the running.

And of course, the inevitable selfie. This one was shot after my run, and I think my Marine Corps Marathon 2013 "Determination" tech shirt looks pretty damn good.

Perfect August. So far, so good!

Perfect August, Day Six Recap: "Weights Are Heavy!"

Perfect August rolled on through Tuesday. I had an amazing day and I'm starting to really appreciate the ripple effects of eating healthier over several days in a row.

First, the checklist.

• Workout per training plan? Check.
• Healthy eating? Check.
• Tracked calories? Check.
• Sixty-Four ounces of water? Check.
• No Diet Coke? Check.
• No caffeine after 2pm? Check.
• Blogged? Check.
• Full night's sleep? Check.

Let's talk about the workout. It was an off-day for running, so I planned something special. For the first time in months... and months... and months... I returned to strength training. It's something I don't really enjoy, but the results are worth it.

I started out with a one mile, ten minute pace run on the treadmill to warm up. Yes, I know it's technically a non-running day. But a quick warm-up mile can't hurt. After that, I hit the weight room for an upper-body, core-strengthening circuit. My weights were lighter than when I last did this, but I decided it was better to build back up rather than go too heavy, too soon.

The workout felt good. There really is something primal about pushing your body to work harder than you thought you could. I'm no muscle strongman, but I also wasn't worried about comparing my workout to anyone else's. I felt good, the weights felt right, and I walked away proud of the workout. What else can I hope for? I finished with another mile on the treadmill, too, because I'm awesome like that.

And here's the obligatory selfie, post workout. Sure, I know what you're thinking. "That guy's a total Autumn. Why is he dressed like a Spring?" What can I say? I'm bucking the trend and wearing light blue. I can't wear green and tan all the time, you know.

I know I've said this already, but I am really am enjoying this Perfect August. It's influencing me all day long, as I take a moment to evaluate calories and portions instead of just tasting, biting, and snacking automatically.

No, I will not be perfect for the rest of my life. But this isn't about forever. It's about right now and reminding myself that I do have willpower, I am in control, and I can make the right choices.

Here's to more great days ahead!

Perfect August, Day Five Recap: "Miles of Smiles"

Monday was awesome. It's true.

Run per training plan? Check.

Healthy eating? Check.

Tracked calories? Check.

Sixty-Four ounces of water? Check.

No Diet Coke? Check.

No caffeine after 2pm? Check.

Blogged? Check.

Full night's sleep? Check.

My planned workout was a five mile run at 11:48 per mile. I was just a few seconds ahead of that pace, and I felt great. I mean, I felt really great. Compared to the ten miles from Saturday, yesterday's five miles flew right by.

Granted, there is more going on than the miles. Yesterday was also the fifth day of Perfect August, which means it's been nearly a week since I've had any junk food, alcohol, or diet sodas. I felt fueled and strong yesterday, and that helped me get through the run with no problem.

In the "not so cool" department, after work, it was time to take my Uncle and my Cousin to the airport. They were here in San Diego over a week, but the visit went by quickly. I think they enjoyed it, and I know Ric and I did. Plus, my Uncle made the best sticky rice ever, so there's that!

On the way home from the airport, we stopped to take a moment and enjoy the amazing view of downtown San Diego and the harbor.

Honestly, it doesn't suck to live in this town. And I highly recommend a visit if you haven't been here lately.

Perfect August, Day Four Recap: "Hit & Miss"

Sunday marked Day 4 of my Perfect August Challenge, and I am happy to report it was a Hit & Miss day.

What? Oh, no. Not that sort of hit and miss. I hit every one of my goals.

• It was my one rest day of the week, so there was no running or strength training.
• I made healthy eating choices, and I used my daily calories wisely enough that I was able to enjoy Chicken Alfredo for dinner and still stay within my range.
• I tracked every calorie. 
• I drank a lot of water, well beyond my sixty-four ounce goal.
• I had coffee early and a glass of ice tea later, but no caffeine after 2pm and no Diet Coke at all.
• I didn't have alcohol.
• I got to bed just after 11pm, which was later than I planned but still early enough for me to get a full night's sleep.
• And I blogged just before I went to bed.

I also spent some time reassessing my weight loss goals on MyFitnessPal. I updated my weight (losing already... go me!) and made a more realistic plan for getting back to my goal weight. I'm going to add strength training this week because I know that a stronger core means faster running.

I prepped for the week by laying out my workout clothes, too. 

Ric is on vacation all week and I'll be getting up in a dark room, so having everything ready make it easier to get out the door with everything I need. More specifically, it makes it harder to say, "oh, I wanted to work out but I couldn't because I didn't know where such-and-such was and didn't want to wake you." (Yes, I know my excuses well.)

So, it was a great weekend and I'm ready to keep the momentum going through the new week!

You may be wondering, "what's with the title of the blog?" Since it was a rest day, I took the opportunity to watch two episodes of the mini-series, "Hit & Miss." It's a show about a transgender contract killer dealing with an unexpected family.

It's fantastic. There are only six episodes and there are no plans for it to return as a series, and you can watch the whole thing on Netflix. Enjoy.

Perfect August, Day Three Recap: "Double Digits!"

Disclaimer: It's late Sunday evening and I am just now blogging my Saturday recap. I let the day get away from me and am ready for bed, but I made a commitment to daily blogging. So, here's the short version.

Oh, Saturday. How I love and hate you at the same time. You and your long runs! I am not always a fan of running them, but I love how I feel when I finish them. And Saturday was my first double-digit training day - 10 miles - so I was feeling especially awesome afterwards.

Let's not pretend that it was an easy run, though. Because Friday was a late night, I slept in Saturday morning so I would meet my "get a good night's sleep" commitment. But, the ripple effect of that meant that I didn't get to start my run until almost noon. Yep, and I'm a morning runner, so the later in the day I start, the worse it is for me.

The whole time I was running, I was bartering and bargaining with myself.

• "I should just do 5 miles today and 5 miles tomorrow."
• "This pace is too slow and I'll be here forever. I should go faster."
• "I should walk."
• "I could walk a mile, then run an extra mile at the end."
• "I'm nearly done. I should run a super fast mile to finish."

All of that chatter in my head, and there was only one thing that would make it all shut up.

Perfect August.

I wanted to change up, to run faster, to run slower, to stop... anything, it seems, except to run the 10 miles at the 11:53 per mile pace. But I had made the commitment to myself that I was going to be perfect for the entire month of August, and no stupid long run was going to get the better of me.

After the run, I was feeling all kinds of great. I found it easy to get through the rest of the day and stick with the rest of my goals. I didn't drink alcohol, I ate completely within my calorie range, I didn't drink Diet Coke and I avoided all caffeine after 2pm. I was Aces!

I realize I have a whole month ahead of me, but so far, having a specific plan has really kept me on track.

__________________

And as a bonus, here's the video of us Scuba Diving in La Jolla Cove on Friday. Enjoy!

The Cove short from John Hulsey on Vimeo.

Perfect August, Day Two Recap: "Scuba!"

Friday was a fantastic day. I'll just say that straight out. It was a great mix of family, friends and fun, and I loved every minute of it.

First, the checklist.

• It wasn't a running day.
• I definitely did a non-running activity. I went Scuba Diving. (More on that to follow.)
• I did not have fast food. And I made good, healthy choices.
• I tracked every calorie.
• I drank water all day and into the night.
• I did not have Diet Coke. I had one cup of coffee at the office in the morning and no caffeien after that.
• I did not drink any alcohol.
• I was up late, but I slept in this morning so I was able to get plenty of sleep.
• And I blogged yesterday morning.

So far, so good. I'm two for two for the month. Go, Me! And now, the fun details.

Yesterday was Friday, and like every week, I worked a half day and was out of the office just after twelve. I had a few stops to make and a few people to pick up, and then we all made our way up to La Jolla Cove. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon, with a light breeze, blue skies, and all kinds of sunshine.

My cousin and my two friends were with me and we spent nearly an hour scuba diving in the Cove. There was much to see with all the local sea life, but my favorites were the sea lions. They were everywhere in the cove, swimming around and darting in between us. They were so close, at one point I was staring right into one of their faces. It was like playing with dogs in a park, almost. I'll share video as soon as I can get it edited.

After the dive, it was time for our Huli Huli Chicken and Game Night. Yeah, I know, that's a long title. But we had the most amazing chicken and rice dinner, followed by a million laughs playing Cards Against Humanity.

Thanks to everyone who joined us. I don't know how the night could have gone any better.

And now, it's time for me to run. Literally. I have ten miles to complete today. Time to beat feet!

Perfect August, Day One Recap: "Actions and Rewards"

Day One of Perfect August is behind me, and it goes in the Win Column.

• I ran five miles yesterday morning.
• I ate within my calorie range.
• I tracked everything on My Fitness Pal.
• I drank over 100 ounces of water. Seriously.
• I did not drink any Diet Coke.
• I did not drink alcohol.
• I got eight hours of sleep.
• And, obviously, I blogged.

See? It's a Win. And I'm happy to say that all of the accomplishments above weren't even the best part of yesterday. That award goes to Chris and Jen Jeske, who responded to my Perfect August challenge and decided to play along. That led to me inviting them to run the San Diego Beer Run with me later this month, and they said yes. They're coming down to San Diego to spend the whole weekend and run the event on Sunday with me. How cool is that?

I haven't seen Chris in person since we were Marines together in Hawaii, and I have never had the chance to meet his wife, Jen. But that will soon change, and all because I created and shared my August challenge. 

Just like that, making a commitment to my own health continues to pay off in ways I never imagined. I blogged about it before (Losses and Gains), but it's worth repeating:

Do good things for yourself and more good things will come your way.

So, the question is, what will YOU do today to be good to yourself?

Operation Awesome, Meet Perfect August.

Three years ago, I started a health and fitness journey that continues to this day. And it all started here:

Monday, June 21, 2010

I just spent a week with the best people I know. This year's Marine Corps reunion was here in San Diego, and I was able to spend time with my longtime friends. They always bring out the best in me, and this week was no exception. 

So here I am a week later, still riding high on the experience, and now ready to turn that good feeling into results. 

More later. For now, just know that I am good to go. It's going to be a very good thirty days. 

I was very successful over my first two and a half years, dropping the extra weight and accomplishing every running goal I set. 

But this year, I have struggled with motivation and commitment. I've tried many different approaches to getting back in my groove, and the results have been hit-and-miss.

Fast forward to Summer 2013 and my ongoing Operation Awesome. I have been successful in stopping my slide backwards, but I am still not satisfied that I am completely back on track. I do fine for a bit but not long enough to really feel better.

And that brings me to "Perfect August." I enjoy mini-challenges, and my journey to health really kicked into high gear with this one:

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I'll be honest. I'm a "lots of energy upfront" guy who quickly loses interest or motivation. I struggle with taking a good idea and seeing it through to completion. And with physical fitness and a lifestyle change, that sort of stop-and-start undermines success. 
So, here I am with a plan. I'm calling it my own 30 Day Challenge. The idea behind it is simple. I can do anything for 30 days. I just need to clearly define my goals. 
For 30 days, I will get to the gym for at least one hour of cardio each day. It can be running, elliptical, or the bike, but it has to be every day and it has to be a minimum of an hour. 
For 30 days, I will use the Spark People Nutrition Tracker to record my food intake. 
For 30 days, I will drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. 
For 30 days, I will not drink caffeine after 5pm. 
For 30 days, I will not drink alcohol. The empty calories are bad enough, but when drinking, I often make poor eating choices. 
For 30 days, I will make healthy eating choices. That means portion controlled, nutritious meals. 
For 30 days, I will get enough sleep to allow my body to recover from each day's exercise. I will not stay up too late. I need at least 6 hours each night. 
For 30 days, I will make myself a priority. I will reset my attitude on physical fitness and health, and I will emerge on the other side of this with a renewed sense of accomplishment and a seriously improved attitude. 
For 30 days, I will remember what it feels like to be the best person I am. 

It worked before and it will work again. Perfection is too lofty a goal to maintain for a lifetime, but it's achievable for a single month. With no further ado, I give you the Perfect August Challenge:

• I will run three days a week according to my Runner's World SmartCoach training plan.
• I will do a non-running activity (biking, walking, strength training, etc) three days a week.
• I will not eat fast-food meals. I will make healthy, nutritious choices.
• I will track my calorie intake through My Fitness Pal. 
• I will drink at least sixty-four ounces of water each day.
• I will not drink diet sodas. My caffeine intake will be restricted to coffee or ice tea and no later than 2pm each day.
• I will not drink alcohol, with one exception. I'm running the San Diego Beer Run on August 11th and will enjoy my celebratory beer after the run.
• I will get enough sleep to allow my body to recover.
• I will blog daily to help me stay focused and on-task.

There it is. My challenge for the next month. August, are you ready for me? Because I'm coming!