RnR Washington DC Half: Training Wk 2

Image courtesy of Rock n Roll

Before I get into this very short update. I’m definately feeling the message from this meme.

Between a couple of heath issues, work stress, general depression, and political stress, I think that I need a redo for the beginning of the 2025. It has been a rough 31 days, and we are only one month in to what appears to be a very long four years with our new President. I'm not super religious, but I really gotta say: God, help all of us.

Oh, since my Federal Government is planning to ignore this, I'm gonna say welcome back Black History Month 2025.

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Summary of Mileage

Speaking of redoing January 2025, rather starting 2025 in February, I guess I can start keeping track and pretending that I'm going to run 2025 km in 2025. The month of January was a bit of a bust. ;) But if I'm gonna consider February as my January, I guess that gives me an extra month to complete my 2025 km in 2025...and the 1st month of 2026. ;)

Image adapted from Beachbody

I clocked in only 110 km in January. According to simple arithmetic, I'm supposed to clear at least 168 km every month to meet my 2025 km in 2024 goals. So, I guess that I'm a little behind. ;)

In terms of training for my upcoming March marathon, this week was a slow start, but I managed to get in a single 7-mile long run and two easy 3 mile runs. Not ideal for a full training week, but something is better than nothing.

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Training Activities

Lol, we'll circle around to weekly training activities with next week's training update.

• Monday: 3-mile easy.

• Tuesday: Skip

• Wednesday: Skip

• Thursday: 3-mile easy run

• Friday: Skip

• Saturday: 7-mile long run.

• Sunday: Skip

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Long Run Spotlight

There was no biggie for this week's long run. Although the temps are warming up, there is still a bit of snow and ice on my primary running paths. So, this long run took place at my local Planet Fitness. Since the temps are (slowly) going up, hopefully, I can start running outside. I dunno, but this winter has been especially brutal in the mid-Atlantic regions. Eh, I guess this winter has been brutal everywhere. I still cannot believe that New Orleans received closed to a foot of snow last month.

Although treadmill runs can be a bit boring for me, I can power through these "boring" runs because I know I can hit up the gym's hydromassage bed after my run.

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Goals for the Upcoming Week

• Start preparing myself for bed around 9 pm.

• Actually, do all of my runs this week.

• Look into some half marathons after March.

• Do at least two strength training workouts.

• Take some notes from this meme I saw on Instagram

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Playlist for the Week:

Since we are still in national selections season for Eurovision 2025, this week's soundtrack was from Benidorm Fest 2025 (Spain's national selection) playlist. Although I did not like ALL the songs (as one would expect) from this year's national selection, a few tracks from this playlist definitely have made it to my general and running playlists. If you listen to this playlist, I'll let you guess which songs made to my general and running playlists. ;)

RnR Washington DC Half: Training Wk 1

Image courtesy of Rock n Roll

Looks like we are back at with another round of half marathon training. Also, this will be my second time running Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon. Hopefully, I will have a better experience than last year.

From what I remember, I thought the course was pretty cool giving us a grand tour of Washington DC with a small taste of Virginia. I do remember a huge hill in Rock Creek Park, so I'm not looking forward to that. ;)

Since I'm still figuring out what's going on with my back, I'm taking a "Que será, será" approach to training for this half marathon. Basically, my goal is to run better than I did in last year's half. With a time of 2:39, I do not think it will be that difficult to beat this time. Hey, if I run the half in 2:38, I've accomplished my goal. Also, I am not trying to put too much stress on myself (in particular, my back) training for this thing because I only have like 1.5 months to train.

Training Plan:

I think my training plan is pretty straightforward. I will admit that I asked ChatGPT to help devise a training plan. While it gave me a decent training plan, it was not anything too groundbreaking. I guess that makes sense, since ChatGPT pretty much regurgitates what's already out there. Also the plan it gave me was more or less similar to what I was going to do anyway.

The plan

• Monday: Rest day (from running) / yoga / strength training

• Tuesday: Easy run (3 - 5 miles)

• Wednesday: Strength training

• Thursday : Speed work

• Friday: Yoga / light strength training / rest day

• Saturday: Long run

• Sunday: Easy cardio - biking, row machine, Cize (a dance workout), or absolutely nothing.

For stength training, I'm kind of getting back to basis, and I plan to work through Joel Freeman's LIIFT 4 from Beachbody (oh they go by BODi nowadays). I will admit that I do like looking at a muscular dude with an oblong-shaped head. ;)

Image adapted from Beachbody

The 35 - 40 minute workouts are pretty straightforward with each workout targeting two 1-2 muscle groups. In terms of time, I think the workouts are ok. However, I think that I might start doing two workouts at a time once I start getting into my groove. If I make it through the eight weeks, I'll write a brief review.

Workout update:

So I did not follow my training workout to the T. I hope ChatGPT will not get me. However, I did manage to get in my easy run (4 mi), my long run (6 mi), and a couple of strength training. Unfortunately, the weather as been extremely cold in the mid-Atlantic region so my runs were pretty much treadmill runs.

Unless I absolutely have to, I refuse to run in temps under 35F, so treadmill running was my go-to Also, a lot of the sidewalks and trails have not been cleared of all the snow and ice, and I am not trying to take a spill.

One thing about Planet Fitness, they really know how to motivate me. ;)

Speaking of treadmills, check out our wonderful set up in my apartment building's "gym".

One thing about this building - NOTHING is ever in working order. Also, the gym is a joke because some of our wonderful neighbors have stolen pretty much all of the dumbbells that are under 65 pounds. Ugh! i cannot wait until we move in June.

Since I have other stuff to do, this update was short and somewhat sweet.

Goals for the week:

-Since it takes me a minute to get moving in the morning, I need to prepare my gym stuff the night before.

-Actually pay attention to my alarm and do my stretches on a nightly basis. I have been good with doing my stretches, planks, pushups, and/or situps throughout the day.

-Since I have been pretty good with my 14-hr intermittent fasts, I wanna increase my fasts to 16 hours. To be honest, I accidentally did a couple of 16-hr fasts last week bc I forgot to eat. In the near future, I would like to attempt one 24-hr fast during the work week.

Playlist for the Week:

Since we are in the beginning stages of Eurovision 2025. Well, the beginning stages of the participating countries' national selections, this week's playlist is from the Benidorm Fest (Spain's national selection) playlist.

RnR Washington DC Half: Training Wk 0

Yikes sometime during the Christmas holiday, I remembered that I registered for this March Half Marathon. My only real goal for this half marathon is to have a better finishing time compared to last year’s. I’m not sure if this will happen because I have about seven weeks until this half marathon. Ok, seven weeks is a decent amount of time to train for a half marathon IF you are already in decent running shape. However, I have not really done anything running-related since Richmond’s Half Marathon (Nov. 16/17, 2024). Also, I was dealing with a back issue from Thanksgiving to about the middle/end of December. So, this might be one of those run just to finish situations. Then again, I think last year’s Rock n Roll DC Half was a run just to finish situation.

Back Pain Updates:

Last week or maybe the week before, I finally had a chance to see a spine and back specialist regarding my lower back issues.

I will say that I thought this appointment was super productive, and I really liked the MD. Why? The doc actually listened to me describe my issues. Extra points because he did not cut me off while I was in the middle of a sentence or a thought – something this annoys the SHIT out of me. Nowadays, I feel like doctors do not have the time to fully listen to their patients due to time constraints imposed by insurance companies. Years ago, someone who worked in health insurance told me that insurance companies highly recommend (or rather, mandate) doctors spend 20-30 minutes with their patients. This is annoying because sometimes, it will take a good 10-15 minutes to really discuss what’s doing on especially if: 1. you have dealing with an issue for years; and 2. if it’s your first time seeing the doctor. After his somewhat comprehensive examination, he came to the conclusion that I suffer from Flat Back Syndrome. However, he would like for me to have an MRI just to confirm a couple of things and to have a baseline. BTW, the copay for my MRI is going to be close to $350! I do not think that I’ve ever paid that much for an MRI (then again, my last one was a good 12 years ago). Also, we are very early in the year, so perhaps, my out of pocket price is so high because I have not met my deductible yet.

Image adapted from Medical News Today.

Simply put, Flat Back Syndrome (as the name would suggest) is a condition where the spine loses it curvature and becomes more flat over time. This syndrome can lead to regular back pain and an inability to stand straight. Let’s check out some of the characteristics.

• An inability to stand up straight ✅

• A bent forward posture ✅

• Bent hips and knees to maintain an upright posture. I did not know I had this but ✅. The doctor told me to stand up. When I did (or thought I did), he asked me to stand up straight without having a slight bend in my knees. Boy, I definitely felt the difference. Once I put my knees a completely straight position, I felt I slight pain in my lower back.

• Fatigue due to strain on the lower back and leg muscles. ✅

• Reduced spinal curvature (my previous X-ray showed this). ✅

• Back pain. ✅ ✅ ✅

What’s next?

At this point, the specialist wants me to focus on doing back stretches and exercises before upping the treatment regimen (e.g., surgery), and I kind of agree. Some exercises that I can/should do include:

Images from Northwest Florida Spine.

The kick in the face:

Since I really want to get my back issues behind me (pun intended), I asked how long would it take to see improvements. He said 4-6 freaking months. BUT, here is the other kick in the face. Since my last back pain flare up (August 2023), I pretty much have been doing these stretches on a daily (well near daily basis). So, I'm kind of side eyeing his recommendation and thinking this regimen might be a way for him to get me out of his hair for a few months. Then again, since this is my first time visiting him, he probably needs a baseline of my situation without hard core medical intervention. Also, maybe doing these these stretches since August 2023 have improved some issues, but the improvements are so small that I have not really noticed it. While the jury is still out, I guess we are moving towards some progress.

Goals for the week:

-Start training for my upcoming half marathon.

-Get on a REAL stretching plan.

RnR Washington DC Half: Training Wk 9 (Copy)

Preface

Ok! Enough of this pity party with these “road to recovery” posts. 😉 The die has been cast, and I have officially registered for Run Rock n Roll Washington D.C. Half Marathon (RnR D.C. Half).

General Updates:

Quick 2024 km in 2024 check in

We are getting into nitty gritty with 12 days remaining until Rock n Roll Washington DC Half Marathon. I'm kind of excited to run my first half marathon since last March. Also, now I can begin the tapering process, although a lot my training was not super hard.

During the past training week, I had a "DUH, Kwame" moment. There is a high school near my job, and something hit me to see if the high school has a track that is available to the public. It turns out the high school has one, which is great for incorporating speed workouts into my training.

I guess that Tuesdays or Thursdays (my in-office days) will incorporate some sort of speed training.

Although I started my taper for this week's long run, I decided to make this week's long run a little tough. I ran from my Planet Fitness in Silver Spring to Rock Creek park and back (about 7.5 miles).

I'm really glad that I randomly found this spot, because there was a pretty steep decline to enter the park, which I would have to climb to exit the park (left picture). Reason #2 while randomly stumbling on this was perfect: my upcoming half marathon also has a steep incline around Mile 7 (right picture).

This workout gave me another opportunity to prepare for my upcoming by fitting in another hill workout.

Random thought about running in this area: The folks here are way friendly compared to those in NYC. Note: I do not mean that NYC runners are unfriendly or mean. What I mean by friendly? Folks will actually (and somewhat) go out of their way to say "Hello" or "Good Morning" when passing. In NYC, folks would acknowledge you, but not actually say anything. Wait, I wonder if this is a safety technique that hikers use. For instance, by saying hello to folks along a trail, it's more likely that someone might remember you if you were to go missing. Hmmm.

Upcoming Races:

Perhaps, I'm speaking too soon. Since the main goal for this upcoming half marathon is simply to finish, I would like to register for another one sometime in May or June. This way, I will have an opportunity to continue training and hopefully become a faster (and healthier) runner. In terms of local races in May/June, I have a few options.

Marine Corps Historic Half (May 19, 2024): I think this is a no-go because the race is in Fredericksburg, Va. Doing this one would require staying overnight in FRedericksburg because the half starts at SIX AM!! I wonder if this half is really small one because the organizers state that you must start the race no later than 6:15 am.

The Maryland Half Marathon & 5K (June 1, 2024): It looks like the goal for this race is to raise money for the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Hmm, I don't think one have to raise THAT much money for this one, because $1,155 was the top fundraise from last year.

Frederick Running Festival (May 4-5, 2024): I have a feeling this might be the one I'll end up doing because the logistics for this one look a little easier to manage.

Strength Training:

Strength training has been going pretty well. By well, I guess I mean that I have been hitting the weights on a consistent basis. Also, I have been getting a bit better with preparing my materials and waking early to hit the gym by 4/5 am.

It has taken me a while, but I've finally started incorporating exercises from this book.

While the exercise are "easy", I think easy exercises are great because they can help you focus on figuring out things with your body. For instance, I've realized that it's way more difficult for me to balance on my left side than on my right site.

Dieting/Proper Eating:

Since I have been consistent with strength training, I'm going to start focusing on proper eating in March. While I'm already doing intermittent fasting, I'm going to incorporate portion control and eating out less. Well, I kind of failed with intermittent fasting this past week because I was craving waffles during a 5 am workout. This craving led me to my local IHoP.

Goals for the week:

-Develop some plans for better eating habits to begin in March.

-Look into adding swimming to my fitness routine. It just so happened that a new (I think) pool opened up in the area.

-Actually figure out what's my BODi (formerly Beachbody on Demand) subscription provides. I have been doing using BODi's streaming workouts for sometime. However, the company has made all of these changes (e.g., adding workout blocks, new accountability groups, and other random sh*t). It might be nice to see what I'm actually paying for and to take advantage of my subscription's "perks". As the current moment, I normally bounce back and forth between a couple of workout programs like the ones below:

Long run playlist:

Last week's long run was powered by Aladdin - Original Broadway Cast Recording. Fortunately, I had a chance to "see" this show on Broadway. Unfortunately, I slept thought 99% of the show. So I might have had a few drinks before the show and had only 3-4 hrs of sleep the night before. In general, I tend to fall asleep in theaters because there's something about being in a cool, dark room with melodious music playing that knocks me out. At least, I woke up and managed to see Aladdin and Jasmine fly across the stage on the magic flying carpet for the last musical number of the show