Random Running Playlist Challenge

I am one of those folks who needs music to complete any and all of my runs. For example, if my phone has only 10% battery juice, I will have to charge the phone for 30 - 45 min to ensure that I will have music during my run. I’ve failed miserably with trying to run “naked”; that is running without any electrical devices (e.g. an Apple Watch or my iPhone).

For this challenge, I put my Long Run Playlist #2 on shuffle and, for the 1st ten songs that came up, I’ll provide a few thoughts about the song or artist.

Andrea Bocelli ft. Laura Pausini - Dare to Live (Vivere)

Aside from being a huge Laura Pausini fan, I’m not really too sure how this song made it into my music library.

La Quinta Estación - Busco Tu Piel

I pretty much love everything this group does. Actually, I take that back. I pretty much loved everything from this group when Natalia Jiménez was the lead singer. However, she did/does have a tendency to over scream at times.

Ike & Tina Turner - Shake a Tail Feather

No words needed.

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

Just a great song, in general, to get up and get going.

Laura Branigan - Gloria

Since I was born in the 80s, a lot of the music from that era holds a special place in my heart. Random fact: Two months ago, I learned that this is a remake from an Italian version. The Italian version also has made it into my music library.

Michel Montano - Waiting on the Stage

I “discovered” this artist during one of my Zumba classes back in the day. Pretty all of his songs have addicting beats that make you want to push harder.

David Guetta & Sia - Titanium

Aside from “Breathe Me”, I am not too familiar with Sia’s work. However, this is a pretty inspirational song with a catchy beat . . . thanks to David Guetta.

Destiny’s Child - Lose My Breath

Any song that incorporates a drumline gets an A+ for my running list.

J. Perry - Boujé

Another artist that I discovered from Zumba.

Bomba Estéreo - Internaciones

Another song/group that I learned about during Zumba. I’m not really sure why I like the song, but I just do.

Zumba Talk

Since I mentioned the influence of Zumba on my running playlist, I figure that I would mention why Zumba has come up a bit in this list of songs. A few years back, I had a lower back injury that pretty much prevented me from doing any physical activity for fitness. The funny thing is that I injured my back while during Shaun T’s Insanity workout DVDs. As I was healing, my doctor gave me the ok to do low impact exercises, and Zumba was one of the things that my doc recommended. Not to toot my own horn, I was a bit surprised that I was good at it after attending my first class. Even the instructor said that I picked up the moves pretty fast as a first-timer. I don’t know. I just made sense. If we are going to do a move two times facing the left, we’re probably going to do it again facing the right. It seemed pretty logical. At one point, I was attending Zumba classes three times a week and would only go to classes taught by specific instructors.

Making some plans

For the past couple of years, I try to come up with some things that I can do to get into better shape. Clearly, I'm not doing something right because I have not significantly dropped any major poundage. Usually, this idea comes right off of the heels of the NYC Marathon. After running the marathon, it takes me about 2-3 weeks to care about doing physical activity again. Recently looking at my beer gin gut, I guess now is the time.

For the longest, I have not been happy with my body. Not like sad, depressed unhappy. More like, I want to have a better figure/share. Yeah, yeah, yeah, men can have self-image issues. I'm not super big, fat, thick, chunky (whatever you wanna call it), but I would not mind dropping a few pounds over the next few months. Right now, I am hovering in the 203 - 205 pound range, which is not HUGE (for the average individuals of my height), because I have some muscle. I've even been told that I "hold the weight well" because of my somewhat muscular frame. Perhaps, this was a back-handed compliment. Unfortunately, I have inherited the body type of my mother's side of the family, and all of my uncles generally plump (and that's being nice) up around the age of 40. It's funny, one of my uncles was pretty lean and fit at 37 years old, then by 39, he gained like 50 pounds.

A few things that I plan to do going forward. We'll see how much I screw this up. 

1. Track my calories . . . again. I accidentally updated the Lose It! app to Lose It! Pro (or whatever the hell the highest tier is called). In the past, I've tried (and failed in)  logging my daily food consumption. My biggest issue (aside from not logging my food) was logging my food after finishing a meal. One thing that I realized when logging my food (for the past two days) is that I snack A LOT at home. Since they are little bites to eat here and there (a few pita chips, a small glass of egg nog, a slice of ham, another small helping of dinner), I did not realize how much the little things add up. It's like they say, losing weight is more dieting than physical activity. 

2. I have started intermitting fasting (IF) again. Right now, I'm fasting for 14 hours. Although IF is not really a dieting plan per se, I did find that I got fuller with less food after a fast. Also, it works well because I get drunker too so I spend less money on booze. Yes, I'm a nut. 

3. In terms of my physical activity, I have not really made in any concrete plans. I have been running a bit and going to the gym, but I'm kind of all over the place. I'll need to sit down and think about my goals and plans that I can do for completing these goals. Word on the street is the NYRR is holding its drawing for the NYC Half-Marthon for March 2019. Maybe if I'm selected for that, I can better devise something to help with my getting more fit and losing some damn weight. Actually . . . Why do not I just "pretend" that I'm running a half in March and devise a training plan that way? Yeah, I'll do that. Running 13.1 miles on my own is not as an arduous task of running 26.2 miles. Look, I'm already making some progress. 

Endomorph, Ectomorph, Endocytosis, Ecto-cooler ?

As I embark on a new struggle challenge to drop a few pounds, I have been reading up on particular training programs that may work for me.

Endomorphic

Unfortunately for me, I am an endomorph ... Why must life be so tough?

Typically, endomorphs tend to gain weight faster and have a harder time losing it. But hey, we were super cool way, way, waaaaay back in the day. From an evolutionary point of view, we endomorphs were more likely to survive because we could to store fat longer. You know, when starvation was a true threat.

Some famous endomorphs include Russell Crowe, LL Cool J, Chris Pratt, the Rock (I guess he does not go by that name any more), and Bruce Willis.

I have pretty much been working out in the wrong manner (well, diet is an issue too) for as long as I can remember. Essentially, I should be doing high intensity, high muscle recruitment exercises with 3-5 sets of 12-20 reps. Umm the 20 reps seem a little aggressive. Here are some recommended exercises based on body part:

• Chest (incline, decline bench press)
• Back (deadlifts and barbell rows)
• Legs (squats and leg press)
• Biceps (barbell curls, and preacher curls)
• Triceps (weighted bench dips and skull crushers)
• Shoulders (dumbbell overhead press and military press)
• ABS (weighted hanging leg press and cable crunch).

The good news is that most of those exercises already are in my Full Fitness app's training programs. I guess that I can just increase the set number from 3 to 5 and not do as much as the other muscle group exercises. Then, I should do 30-40 minutes of cardio after weightlifting. Those lucky ecto- and mesomorphs do not have to do any extra cardio after weight lifting.

Zumba:

I think that I have found a new Zumba home. Over the past couple weeks, I attended three different Zumba classes offered by Crunch Fitness. It was kind of like Goldilocks trying to find the porridge that was juuust right. You know, right before the three bears mauled and ate her.

• Zumba 1: I signed up for the class online but I saw that there were only 3 other people who had signed up. No bueno. So I did not even attend it. Normally, if there are less than 10 people who has signed up for the class then it's probably going to be wack. I peeked into the class, and it did look a little wack.
• Zumba 2: Decent class with a lot of people, but the instructor was WAAAAY into himself. He kept taking selfies and posting them to various Zumba sites. Also, he seemed to be literally admiring his ass.
• Zumba 3: The class that I'm going to stick with. The class had a decent amount of people, the music was excellent (from shazzaming the class, I've already purchased 5 of the songs), the instructor was AMAZING & instruction was on point, and there were guys in the class (although I was the best male, not to toot my own horn). The one thing that I did not like about the class is the instructor made all guys do some routine in the front of the class. I guess that I did a good job, because many of the other students told me that I was really good for my first class with the instructor.

That's it for me. I guess that I should get back to packing.

The TCS NYC Marathon Here and Gone

I have been so bad updating this thing, because of lab work, teaching, searching for a new job, etc. Training for this marathon, as well as updating this blog, really has taken a back seat to other things in KOS' life. I am glad to say that I did complete the marathon. 

For this "race report", I will divide it into sections.

Marathon Day:

I was really responsible, because I packed all of the crap that I would need and was in bed by 9 PM. Which was a change from the first NYC marathon that I ran in 2013. For that marathon, I was out drinking and smoking till around 11 PM.

Let's get into this thing. Basically, my strategy for this marathon was to have a decent run for the first half and see where it would take me for the second half.

Prestart/Staten Island:

I did not have too much of an issue getting to 6:45 AM ferry, although I did cut it kind of close and had to take a cab from the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge to the Staten Island Ferry.

I had a little fun at in the Marathon Village, because I ran into a former coworker and we pretty much chatted the entire time. Time seemed to fly by. Next thing I know, it was the final call for baggage drop and I did not even get to stretch as much as I wanted too. However, I knew that I was running this marathon just to do it rather for any time.

Staten Island (start):

Wave 2, Corral C

Right at the start, we started to feel light rain drops and I thought the rain would be great or a complete disaster. Basically, the Verrazano Bridge is the only part of the marathon that is on Staten Island. To be perfectly honest, running this marathon is the only time that I cross this bridge. Obviously, I felt strong during this part, because it was the beginning of the marathon. Although I think I should have moved to a higher corral, because these folks were FAST. However, it made me a little more competitive during this chunk of the marathon . . . except while taking selfies.

Brooklyn (Miles 2-13.1):

To be perfectly honest, running in this borough is really fun for me, because the crowds are so pumped up (probably because it was fairly early in the day). Running through Brooklyn, has to be the most interesting part of this marathon because:

• it's at the beginning, so you have fresh legs.
• a large portion of the the marathon is in Brooklyn.
• you run through so many different and diverse neighborhoods (e.g. Bay Ridge, Greenpoint, Park Slope, Williamsburg) in the borough.

This part was a little bitter sweet because I live and work in Brooklyn. However, I will not be working (at the end of the week) or living (at the end of the month) in Brooklyn. Running-wise, I was doing pretty well (for me) of running a 9:30 min/mi pace. Is it me, or do people like when race routes have a lot of turns? I do not why but I seemed to get re-energized for every turn in the course, because I knew we were getting closer to the halfway point with every turn.

Queens (Miles 13.2-16.5ish):

Even though I never officially lived in Queens, I always felt like a Queens boy. By living on Roosevelt Island, I frequented Queens, especially Long Island City, pretty much every weekend.  I really loved the views of Manhattan from the Pulaski Bridge - it was quite inspiring and fascinating that I live in this great city.

At this point, my job was done. I think once once I hit the 13.1 point on the Pulaski Bridge my mind (and body) kind of checked out.

I definitely had to walk a few blocks in Queens and I pretty much walked most of the Queensboro Bridge, which is the toughest part of this marathon for me. I really tried to run the bridge, but my right inner thigh was cramping up, really badly. On the bridge, I actually had to stop and stretch for a bit. But, I was not going to let this bridge take me out. As I posted on Facebook, "Man, fuck this bridge." (yes, I was texting and posting on Facebook after the 13.1 mile mark).

Manhattan, Part I (Miles 16.5- 20ish)

This section probably is the most popular part of the marathon, because of the sheer energy from the crowds upon entering Manhattan. Plus, when most people hear "NYC", they automatically think of Manhattan. Actually this portion of the marathon held a special piece in my heart, because my daily commute (when I was a postdoctoral fellow at Weill Cornell Medical College) involved walking from the Queensboro Bridge to E69th Street along 1st Avenue. HA! I even greeted a group of spectators who were offering "shots" of beer. Yes, I took a couple shots of beer and they were delicious!!!

Entering Manhattan was the turning point of the marathon for me. I pretty much coasted through Manhattan without any care for time. I tried to alternate between running ten blocks, then walking two blocks. Pretty soon that became run 5 blocks then walk 5. That became run whenever the hell you feel like it and grab free candy. For me, this marathon was fueled on Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, SweetTarts, and Twizzlers. Phew, this is getting long. At one point, I was running this thing like Jade from "America's Next Top Model". You know they episode where the models had to ad lib a CoverGirl commercial. Yes, I watch too much reality TV.

The boogie down Bronx (Miles 20ish-22-ish)

C'mon is this damn thing over?!!! You breeze through the Bronx so fast that you really do not have a chance to take in this borough.

Manhattan  . . . Again (Miles 22ish - 26.2). 

Ok let's finish this damn thing. During this part, I was actually getting quite annoyed. I was cranky, wet, tired, and over the whole thing. I feel really bad for saying this. At first, I was getting really annoyed with people continuously saying "you got this KOS".  I wanted to scream out "NO I DON'T GOT THIS. I HAVEN'T HAD THIS SH*T SINCE QUEENS!!!" My inner voice was saying that; but deep down, I was very happy that spectators were still out there cheering us on in the rain. Plus, I did sign up to do this and no one made me do it. However, I did crank up my music, so I would not hear the crowd as much - my arms were super tired from waving and thumbs up'ing.  BTW, my Zumba playlist (songs that I Shazzamed from Zumba class) really got me through the last five miles. I actually started continuously running . . . except when I was texting ;)

I will say that I really enjoyed the running through Central Park, because the changing colors of the leaves looked beautiful. LOL, the BF texted me when I entered Central Park,  and congratulated me for finishing. Umm Buddy, there are still a little over 2 more miles to the finish line.

Post Marathon:

I managed to limp my way to the nearest Crunch Fitness for a much needed date with a foam roller and a shower.

After stretching, rolling, and taking the most painful shower (the chafe was real), I met with some friends to have Mexican food, margaritas, shots, gin n sodas, and a few more cigarettes.

Although I did not have the marathon experience that I wanted, in terms of performance, I did kind of/sort of enjoyed running/walking for the sake of doing it. I did not even know my time until my friend told me at dinner.

Would I do it again? . . . Hell yes!!! But, I would like to train properly for the next go around.

What's on the horizon?

Since I finished the marathon, I can still qualify for NYRR's 9+1 2018 marathon but I CANNOT miss anymore races and I have to register for two more.

Race to Deliver (4M) - Nov 19th - Registered

NYRR Ted Corbitt (15K) - Dec 9th - Registered

So, the only races that I can run are the NYRR Jingle Bell Jog (5K) and NYRR Midnight Run (4M).

Ok, finally done with this report.