Rosswog Running Blog

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  My busy work scheduled continued today in that I flew out to Charlotte in the mid-afternoon; however, I was able to catch the second half of The Big Game from my hotel’s gym.  Having not run all day, when checking into the Marriot I asked the receptionist where the gym was located; therefore, from this question and from all the running gear that I was wearing, he directed me to the stairs instead of the elevator so I could get in an extra workout while checking into my room.  Now that is service!  Needless to say, I dropped my bags in my room and headed back down the stairs to the gym.  I stuck to the elliptical machine for this workout and was able to get in 25.1 miles while watching the Packers triumph over the Steelers and the numerous post-game shows (in total, the workout lasted 3:53.08).

Before leaving for Charlotte, I was able to get in my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00 (working my way back into plank shape)

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  serving of mixed fruit, a fruit smoothie, and a bowl of whole-wheat rice

Following a busy workday at the Charlotte office, I jogged 2.4 miles around UNCC campus then hit the Marriot’s elliptical machine for a 3.8-mile run.  My right shin and calf were pretty swollen from yesterday’s workout; therefore, I packed it in ice for twenty minutes then soaked it in the Jacuzzi for twenty minutes then returned to the ice packs.  This hot-cold treatment seemed to bring down the swelling.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  lean turkey whole-wheat sandwich and a big salad

After another busy day at work in Charlotte, I headed to the gym and knocked out 3.2 miles on the treadmill.  This was not a fast 3.2, but my right ankle and shin seemed to hold up all right (i.e., started to get a little tired and sore near the end, but not too bad.  I then switched to the treadmill and completed another 3.2 miles before calling it a day.

In regards to my daily non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 50 (20 lbs) curls.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  an apple

I woke up early this morning and headed right to my hotel's gym where I was able to get in a nice 2.0-mile jog on the treadmill before heading off to the airport to return home to Salt Lake City.  Once I got back into town, I headed off to work to get caught up on a few things and to meet up with my colleagues, friends, and Fight for Air Climb teammates for an hour-long training session on the stairs (i.e., Wednesday Night means stair racing).  For this workout, we altered it by adding on flat stretch a base and top of our three floors.  In one hour, I was able to complete 53 repeats while wearing my 12 lbs weight vest, which equals 3.5 miles (i.e., 2.65 in stair miles multiplied by 1.33 to account for the extra distance).

For my daily non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 50 (20 lbs) curls.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  two Blue Machine fruit smoothies and a veggie wrap

I’m an enormous Coach Jerry Sloan fan, so today was a very sad day for my Jazz, the game of basketball, and team sports in general.  Hopefully my Jazz can acquire some players that have more respect for the coaching staff and the sport.  While watching news clips from resignation press conference, I jogged 1.1 miles on the treadmill before switching to the elliptical machine for an easy pace 5k.

My daily non-running workout consisted of just 300 sit-ups.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  a serving a fruit and two lean turkey sandwiches.

Following a busy work week, I hit the elliptical machine for 5.1 miles at an easy pace.  I did not want to go too hard on my recovering right shin before tomorrow’s 10k race.

In regards to my daily non-running workout, I completed just 300 sit-ups.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00 (felt really exhausted after this one)

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  a serving a fruit and vegetable soup

Today was my second race of 2011, the Salt Lake City Track Club Winter Series 10k.  This race went much better than my first time out.  Even though I woke up with a swollen and sore right shin and ankle, it was absolutely not as bad as two weeks ago where I ran the 5k in this series in an official time of 21:00 and a watch time of 20:46.  As a result, I was aiming for a sub-40:00 10k today.  I thought if everything really went smoothly, I could maybe just get under 38:00.  Considering  my slightly swollen right ankle and the since my once trusted Garmin 405 just went out on me the other day (i.e., the bezel does not work at all--permanently locked--so I can only tell the time and date on it), any finishing time under 40 minutes I would be happy with. 

After meeting up with a few of my friends and Wasatch Back teammates from the office, the race started shortly after 10:00 am.  For the first mile, I was a little stiff from not having warmed up, but after the first mile I kind of went into cruise control.  Not having a way to judge my pace, I just tried to keep the lead pack in view.  Near the 5k-turnaround marker the lead pack went flying past me on their way back to Saltair.  Needless to say, these guys are fast and there was no way I was going to come close to keeping up with them; therefore, I just wished them luck as the flew by making the course look way too easy.  I just kept my focus on my form on the way back and the last mile-and-a-half seemed to go particularly slow.  Thinking I was going to finish in the high 37s or low 38s, it was a pleasant surprise to see 0:36:48 on the clock as I passed the finish line.  In summary, two weeks after running a twenty-one minute 5k, I’m making progress and hope to continue it so I’ll be ready for the stairs in two weeks.

Following the race, I went to the office in order to get caught up then to get some time in on the elliptical machine.  I was able to complete 19.2 miles on the elliptical before calling it a day.

For my non-running workout, I completed just 300 sit-ups.

Five-Minute Plank Challenge:  2:00

Trying-To-Go-Out-Of-My-Way-To-Eat-Healthy Challenge:  a serving a fruit and lean turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread