The Official Exercise/Fitness Thread v. Run Forest, Run!

[wolfking]

Joined a group of fellas some of which I work with on Strava for Mo's on the Move.  Movember charity thing where we have to run 5km everyday.  Thing is, all these guys are at least 10 years younger than me. 

A few of these guys do 4.30 kms for fun at 5+ kms no problem.  Quite incredible.  I know I can't keep up but will do my best.  My leg is still giving me problems so hopefully I can push through.

First run this morning was at 5.09 pace.  Pretty happy with That but don't see me improving too much on that.  That was a struggle this morning.

Being clean shaven for the first time in like 15 years feels weird too.

[SchecterShredder]

Joined a group of fellas some of which I work with on Strava for Mo's on the Move.  Movember charity thing where we have to run 5km everyday.  Thing is, all these guys are at least 10 years younger than me. 

A few of these guys do 4.30 kms for fun at 5+ kms no problem.  Quite incredible.  I know I can't keep up but will do my best.  My leg is still giving me problems so hopefully I can push through.

First run this morning was at 5.09 pace.  Pretty happy with That but don't see me improving too much on that.  That was a struggle this morning.

Being clean shaven for the first time in like 15 years feels weird too.

I just saw your run on Strava, and came to check if you were doing another challenge. 5km per day is far more reasonable than 300km in the month. Good luck with it!

[wolfking]

Joined a group of fellas some of which I work with on Strava for Mo's on the Move.  Movember charity thing where we have to run 5km everyday.  Thing is, all these guys are at least 10 years younger than me. 

A few of these guys do 4.30 kms for fun at 5+ kms no problem.  Quite incredible.  I know I can't keep up but will do my best.  My leg is still giving me problems so hopefully I can push through.

First run this morning was at 5.09 pace.  Pretty happy with That but don't see me improving too much on that.  That was a struggle this morning.

Being clean shaven for the first time in like 15 years feels weird too.

I just saw your run on Strava, and came to check if you were doing another challenge. 5km per day is far more reasonable than 300km in the month. Good luck with it!

It's not the distance this time, I was going nice paces for those 10km runs and not focusing as much on time.  Competing against people I know who are way more athletic is the challenge.  I know I can't match them, but want to somewhat be somewhere in the ballpark consistently.  I've done faster but the 5km this morning was Damn hard and harder than most of the 10km runs I've done.

I can feel I'm putting pressure on myself though so I need to be careful.  Coming off 2 months of no running too so have to curb the ego if push comes to shove.

I think my aim is at least 1 run at 4.50 pace, that would be solid.

First run this morning, one of the young ones busts put a 5km at 4.31 pace. Lol.  Incredible.

[gmillerdrake]

Ran a half marathon on Saturday. The furthest distance I had run since my last half in March was 4 miles…..didn’t really train at all. Came in at 2hrs 24 min which….I don’t run for speed anymore but I was happy with given I just basically ‘winged’ it.

Around the 8 mile mark is when my quads and calves told me they didn’t appreciate the lack of training     Cardio wise I was solid the whole time as I still play two or three games of ice hockey a week and am running as well. Just that distance was the issue.

It was beautiful out though as all the trees are turning and the race was a course through a woodland community.

[jingle.boy]

Awesome stuff Gary.

I'm just continuing to plug along with weights and HIIT.  5-6 days a week, and trying to get a little steady-state bike ride in the morning while catching up on some TV-show watching.  i gotta do a re-watch of The Witcher S1 before S2 drops, so that'll give me eight one-hour extra cardio sessions in the next couple of weeks.

[SchecterShredder]

It was beautiful out though as all the trees are turning and the race was a course through a woodland community.

Sadly, I'm looking at fall in the rear view mirror here in Edmonton. I guess you could call it 'gothic fall' (i.e. bare trees but no snow yet...although the 14 day forecast has thoughts about that).

I went out for a ride on my road bike yesterday morning. It was -12C at the start and still only -5C when I finished. I ride bikes all year road, so I've ridden in much colder, but I just don't have the same level of gear for my road bike that I do for my winter rig. The toes and fingers paid a price yesterday. The beard froze pretty good, too, but that's more comical than anything. Might have to stick to just mountain biking until next year.

It's been slow going motivating myself to return to endurance training since my mtb crash back in August. With how little time was left in the season, I just figured it wasn't worth it. On the bright side it means I've been doing tons of resistance training, and the results are quite nice so far. I figure I'll try to ride that wave for the next month here until XC ski season starts up. Although, if enough snow falls I might be treated to an early season start.

[Kotowboy]

Work was so tiring I never did my usual walks. But now i'm unemployed I can start doing my long daily walks again.

[wolfking]

It was beautiful out though as all the trees are turning and the race was a course through a woodland community.

Sadly, I'm looking at fall in the rear view mirror here in Edmonton. I guess you could call it 'gothic fall' (i.e. bare trees but no snow yet...although the 14 day forecast has thoughts about that).

I went out for a ride on my road bike yesterday morning. It was -12C at the start and still only -5C when I finished. I ride bikes all year road, so I've ridden in much colder, but I just don't have the same level of gear for my road bike that I do for my winter rig. The toes and fingers paid a price yesterday. The beard froze pretty good, too, but that's more comical than anything. Might have to stick to just mountain biking until next year.

It's been slow going motivating myself to return to endurance training since my mtb crash back in August. With how little time was left in the season, I just figured it wasn't worth it. On the bright side it means I've been doing tons of resistance training, and the results are quite nice so far. I figure I'll try to ride that wave for the next month here until XC ski season starts up. Although, if enough snow falls I might be treated to an early season start.

Your ice beard photo on Strava was beautiful. 

[wolfking]

Ran a half marathon on Saturday. The furthest distance I had run since my last half in March was 4 miles…..didn’t really train at all. Came in at 2hrs 24 min which….I don’t run for speed anymore but I was happy with given I just basically ‘winged’ it.

Around the 8 mile mark is when my quads and calves told me they didn’t appreciate the lack of training     Cardio wise I was solid the whole time as I still play two or three games of ice hockey a week and am running as well. Just that distance was the issue.

It was beautiful out though as all the trees are turning and the race was a course through a woodland community.

Good stuff Gary.

[wolfking]

Just completed my second 5km run for day 2.  4.57 pace.  Happy with that but damn this is crazy already.  24 hours is not a long time when you need as much recovery as you can.  Normally I'd still do a weight legs session once a week but that's out of the question.  My dodgy leg already starting to get some niggles back.  Getting one goal of a sub 5 minute average run under my belt early on feels good though and takes a little pressure off myself.

[Kotowboy]

Managed 6.6 miles today. Need to keep that up AND get back to eating WAY healthier.

[wolfking]

Joined a group of fellas some of which I work with on Strava for Mo's on the Move.  Movember charity thing where we have to run 5km everyday.  Thing is, all these guys are at least 10 years younger than me. 

A few of these guys do 4.30 kms for fun at 5+ kms no problem.  Quite incredible.  I know I can't keep up but will do my best.  My leg is still giving me problems so hopefully I can push through.

First run this morning was at 5.09 pace.  Pretty happy with That but don't see me improving too much on that.  That was a struggle this morning.

Being clean shaven for the first time in like 15 years feels weird too.

I just saw your run on Strava, and came to check if you were doing another challenge. 5km per day is far more reasonable than 300km in the month. Good luck with it!

It's not the distance this time, I was going nice paces for those 10km runs and not focusing as much on time.  Competing against people I know who are way more athletic is the challenge.  I know I can't match them, but want to somewhat be somewhere in the ballpark consistently.  I've done faster but the 5km this morning was Damn hard and harder than most of the 10km runs I've done.

I can feel I'm putting pressure on myself though so I need to be careful.  Coming off 2 months of no running too so have to curb the ego if push comes to shove.

I think my aim is at least 1 run at 4.50 pace, that would be solid.

First run this morning, one of the young ones busts put a 5km at 4.31 pace. Lol.  Incredible.

Bah, hit 4:51 today!

[jingle.boy]

Joined a group of fellas some of which I work with on Strava for Mo's on the Move.  Movember charity thing where we have to run 5km everyday.  Thing is, all these guys are at least 10 years younger than me. 

A few of these guys do 4.30 kms for fun at 5+ kms no problem.  Quite incredible.  I know I can't keep up but will do my best.  My leg is still giving me problems so hopefully I can push through.

First run this morning was at 5.09 pace.  Pretty happy with That but don't see me improving too much on that.  That was a struggle this morning.

Being clean shaven for the first time in like 15 years feels weird too.

I just saw your run on Strava, and came to check if you were doing another challenge. 5km per day is far more reasonable than 300km in the month. Good luck with it!

It's not the distance this time, I was going nice paces for those 10km runs and not focusing as much on time.  Competing against people I know who are way more athletic is the challenge.  I know I can't match them, but want to somewhat be somewhere in the ballpark consistently.  I've done faster but the 5km this morning was Damn hard and harder than most of the 10km runs I've done.

I can feel I'm putting pressure on myself though so I need to be careful.  Coming off 2 months of no running too so have to curb the ego if push comes to shove.

I think my aim is at least 1 run at 4.50 pace, that would be solid.

First run this morning, one of the young ones busts put a 5km at 4.31 pace. Lol.  Incredible.

Bah, hit 4:51 today!

Just for you ....

[Kotowboy]

  Put on several lbs over the last few weeks. Not quite sure how as my work is quite full on and i'm carrying this 4ft tray filled with plates up to 5 hours a day.

Plus rarely eating and drinking lots of water. hey ho

I'm gonna give up sugary products again for the forseeable - but my main problem is snacking. What can I replace biscuits and sweets with ?

Gonna try like bags of carrot batons and bananas etc for when i'm peckish and bored and fancy a nibble.

I was 11 stone 2 lb once ( 156 lb ) and I don't wanna know what i am now... But I'm *determined* to get rid of it all again.

The last thing I want is to be one of those people who "just got fat lol" and never even bothered trying to do anything about it - and before I know it i'm 15 stone ( 210 lb ).


The good thing is - I HATE junk food and I love walking and home cooking so the only real *hard* part is will power and determination.

[SchecterShredder]

Put on several lbs over the last few weeks. Not quite sure how as my work is quite full on and i'm carrying this 4ft tray filled with plates up to 5 hours a day.

Plus rarely eating and drinking lots of water. hey ho

I'm gonna give up sugary products again for the forseeable - but my main problem is snacking. What can I replace biscuits and sweets with ?

Gonna try like bags of carrot batons and bananas etc for when i'm peckish and bored and fancy a nibble.

I was 11 stone 2 lb once ( 156 lb ) and I don't wanna know what i am now... But I'm *determined* to get rid of it all again.

The last thing I want is to be one of those people who "just got fat lol" and never even bothered trying to do anything about it - and before I know it i'm 15 stone ( 210 lb ).


The good thing is - I HATE junk food and I love walking and home cooking so the only real *hard* part is will power and determination.

Having bagged carrots around could certainly help.  Sundays, I pre cut and portion mixed veggies for the week. Carrots, cauliflower  and broccoli.  It's simple. I can eat it raw. I can steam them in a microwave.

You're 100% correct that it's all about the willpower.  Having ready access to healthy snacks goes a long way. In my house, i need it to be as easy to get fruit and veg as it is to grab a fistful of kid's cereal....or peanut butter, for that matter.

Have you considered seeds and nuts at all? They'd give you some variety, and would be better than biscuits by a large margin.

[Kotowboy]

Luckily i'm also not one of those "fruit and veg is for rabbits m8 wheres the steak" people either. I love eating fruit and veggies.

I don't even HAVE to have meat - I just do. I make my own stir fried chicken and rice / salad / sometimes mini naan breads at home.

Also my night time activity used to be a 60 min walk - most of which is uphill. With a few trips up to the supermarket (1mile each way) during the day.

But I need to step it up again. Lately been feeling full for WAY too long after eating.

Yeah I love cashews. Maybe i'll get some mixed nuts too. Certainly better than Haribo.

I'll have a look in the shops later for a big bag of mixed nuts / cashews. No raisins though  not my bag.

[jingle.boy]

My go to snacks are turkey kolbasa, hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, cheese, fruit (gala apples). Carrots an hummus is good, but I typically hate snacking with veggies, even tho I know I should.

[Kotowboy]

Mmmm Hummus. Love dat shit I could eat it by the spoonfull. 

When I lived in dubai - i'm pretty sure I lived exclusively on pitta bread and hummus.

Taramasalata however -

[Kotowboy]

Is this showing up ?

Anyway - here's me. Day 1 - not exactly obese - but definitely time to get in shape again.


Not checked my scales yet as i'm too scared  i don't think i've gone back up to 190 lb but I don't think i'll like it anyway.

Also I know not to check every day - as tempting as that is. I used to check every monday morning - when there's more likely to be a noticeable difference.

But as someone who is kinda obsessed with facts and figures - it's quite addictive seeing the numbers drop over time. I went from a 36" waist to 34" - to 32" and that's where I am now.

My go to snacks are turkey kolbasa, hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, cheese, fruit (gala apples). Carrots an hummus is good, but I typically hate snacking with veggies, even tho I know I should.

I love hard boiled eggs and salad. But I don't know what dressing to use as whichever one I try they all seem to taste exclusively of vinegar...

[wolfking]

What are you looking to achieve?  You're not overweight and look actually a perfectly fine, normal healthy weight?

I'm actually a little concerned you're looking to loose weight.  Especially the first line where you say 'not exactly obese,' well, no, have you looked in the mirror?  You also say you're scared to step on the scale.  Why?  Be careful, I've dabbled into eating disorder territory and body dysmorphia is fucking real.  You don't need to lose weight.

Mate, if I were you, I'd eat solid decent food around your maintenance and maybe look at some weight training.  It's possibly exactly what you may need and looking for.

[wolfking]

As for snacking, I don't do it.  It's too dangerous.  I'd rather fast if I have to and enjoy a larger portion of food.  Snacking has always lead me to overeat calories.

[Kotowboy]

I may not look it but I definitely feel it. I've got a bit of a gut under there 

It's not very comfortable atm. Also I don't want to be a skeleton or anything.

I never starve myself or anything like that.

...I just like nibbling on food whilst i'm watching EwToob of something.


In 2017 On jan 1st I gave up sugar in my coffee and all sweets/snacks/processed foods. I was losing around 3lb a week. As I said I don't need to be a stick insect.

Just without that podgy gut.

[SchecterShredder]

Im with Kade on this one.  You're nowhere near obese, Kotowboy. I'm not even sure you'd classify as over weight. I realize it's entirely possible you're heavier than you used to be,  but it almost sounds like you're trying to shame yourself into a diet or something. Now, if you're concerned that you continue to gain 3-4 lbs every year, and you want to fight back,
 then that's legit. But you're definitely not anywhere in the realm of overweight or obese. My father in law is obese. He looks like he ate 2 or 3 of you.

As for snacking, I don't do it.  It's too dangerous.  I'd rather fast if I have to and enjoy a larger portion of food.  Snacking has always lead me to overeat calories.

I think i need the snacking because i fast. I'm usually quite hungry when my eating window opens,  so i find i eat pretty regularly from "breakfast" at 1pm until my dinner.

[chknptpie]

Got back from Ragnar trail last night and still feeling exhausted and dehydrated. Went to sleep at 7pm and slept for over 9 hours which is rare for me. I think I would do it again, but with glamping. The lack of sleep and being packed in with so many people was really the worst part. Also not being able to stake our shade structure properly which made us all a little on edge any time it got breezy. Damn the AZ hard ground. I will praise the potty situation though. So many portapotties, never a line, and they cleaned them constantly. I'll load some photos to FB today some time.

[Kotowboy]

Im with Kade on this one.  You're nowhere near obese, Kotowboy. I'm not even sure you'd classify as over weight. I realize it's entirely possible you're heavier than you used to be,  but it almost sounds like you're trying to shame yourself into a diet or something. Now, if you're concerned that you continue to gain 3-4 lbs every year, and you want to fight back,
 then that's legit. But you're definitely not anywhere in the realm of overweight or obese. My father in law is obese. He looks like he ate 2 or 3 of you.

I just don't like how I feel / look. I used to be a lot lighter. As I said - i'm not looking to be HENCH or even a stick insect. Just to where I feel a lot better.

Of course - there's the very real possibility that I eat well and exercise for one week and then go F- IT. We shall see.

As everyone knows - I hate how easy it is to gain weight and how f-ing annoying and a PITA it is to shift.

[Kotowboy]

Walked 9 miles Thursday. 7 yesterday.

I know walking does FA unless you get your heart rate up. But it’s still better than NOT walking.

[ReaperKK]

Walked 9 miles Thursday. 7 yesterday.

I know walking does FA unless you get your heart rate up. But it’s still better than NOT walking.

I hurt my knee a little while back so I'm careful jogging and stick walking, walking helps. It's getting out and moving that is what's important.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah I get way too bored sitting indoors. I *have* to go outside unless it's a torrential downpour.

[wolfking]

Im with Kade on this one.  You're nowhere near obese, Kotowboy. I'm not even sure you'd classify as over weight. I realize it's entirely possible you're heavier than you used to be,  but it almost sounds like you're trying to shame yourself into a diet or something. Now, if you're concerned that you continue to gain 3-4 lbs every year, and you want to fight back,
 then that's legit. But you're definitely not anywhere in the realm of overweight or obese. My father in law is obese. He looks like he ate 2 or 3 of you.

As for snacking, I don't do it.  It's too dangerous.  I'd rather fast if I have to and enjoy a larger portion of food.  Snacking has always lead me to overeat calories.

I think i need the snacking because i fast. I'm usually quite hungry when my eating window opens,  so i find i eat pretty regularly from "breakfast" at 1pm until my dinner.

Aha, well said my friend.  I get it.

[wolfking]

Im with Kade on this one.  You're nowhere near obese, Kotowboy. I'm not even sure you'd classify as over weight. I realize it's entirely possible you're heavier than you used to be,  but it almost sounds like you're trying to shame yourself into a diet or something. Now, if you're concerned that you continue to gain 3-4 lbs every year, and you want to fight back,
 then that's legit. But you're definitely not anywhere in the realm of overweight or obese. My father in law is obese. He looks like he ate 2 or 3 of you.

I just don't like how I feel / look. I used to be a lot lighter. As I said - i'm not looking to be HENCH or even a stick insect. Just to where I feel a lot better.

Of course - there's the very real possibility that I eat well and exercise for one week and then go F- IT. We shall see.

As everyone knows - I hate how easy it is to gain weight and how f-ing annoying and a PITA it is to shift.

Some heavy weight training is what you need.

[Kotowboy]

Not with my shoulders...

[wolfking]

Okay then.

[Chino]

I don't get why people say walking doesn't do anything unless your heartrate is elevated for a good portion of it. Your body still needs to use stored energy (fat) to produce motion, even if it's just walking. I lost more than 80lbs in the last 18 months by just walking (and calorie control).

[jingle.boy]

Jesus, Brian... you’re 1/2 the man you used to be!!   

[Kotowboy]

Okay then.

I hurt them when I fell off my bike in 2015.

Anyway..

Dinner tonight = Homemade Chicken stir fry with cashew nuts and naan bread / sweet and sour sauce.

Dessert = Natural Greek Yoghurt with banana slices. 😊