Plyometric But Not Equal

P90X2 calls for the regular use of workout called Plyocide. "Death by jump training," as Tony jokes. It's a sturdy workout for sure. I have grown weary of the same old routine over two months. Just for fun I decided to pull out an old DVD, Shaun T’s Insanity Cardio Plyo. Whoa, some things never change. I think these programs need to switch names. Shaun T's intense plyometric workout remains exhausting at best. During and afterwards I recalled the days of old when I completed the 60 day Insanity program. I breathed heavily, sprayed sweat like a fountain, not to mention my entire body burned during final sequence. Good times.

I'm looking forward to going back to Plyocide.

Remember, it's not exercise if you don't lift your feet.

Jump. Run. Plyo.

Tom

Presidential Pardon

January 22 I posted an excerpt from an email I received from the President's Fitness Challenge. I was unhappy with the organization at that point. It got worse. Below is another e-mail message I received.

Dear Thomas:

We are writing to inform you about a security issue involving the President’s Challenge website [www.presidentschallenge.org].

Hackers recently accessed our database, which included personal information such as your username, password, security question and answer, email address, date of birth, city and state, and, if you provided it, your name. The hackers were also able to access data such as your logged activities, your nutrition goals, what groups you are in, and messages you had sent and received within the online tracker.

After we learned about the attack, we quickly took down the President’s Challenge website on January 11 and began the process of determining what information the hackers accessed and how it may affect you. We also contacted law enforcement to alert them to the hackers’ illegal activity.

Please note that we do not keep credit card numbers or Social Security numbers for users of our online tracker and shop. Regardless, we are alerting you so you can change your login information on any website where you might have used the same or similar username and/or password, and so you can generally monitor your personal and financial information.

We are in the process of securing the President’s Challenge website, and we expect to bring it back online within the next few days. Before you log in, you will be prompted to reset your password. You will then be able to log your activities and, for PALA+ users, your nutrition goals for the past three weeks. All of your previously logged activities and nutrition goals are still stored in the database.

We are sincerely sorry for this situation and any inconvenience or concern it causes you. We take your privacy very seriously. Before the attack, our website was routinely reviewed for security flaws. We are currently reviewing our security practices to make them even stronger and to reduce the probability of a future breach.

All I can think to say in response is, "WOW!" Luckily, I'm a paranoid type and never use my real information for online applications from itunes to the President's Challenge.

Be active and be careful.

Tom

200 Posts and Blogging

I read a book before I created this blog site. It was helpful in choosing a host, formatting the site and the like. The rest sort of followed. I've posted over 200 entries, thrown away about twenty-five and have a good number of pieces written and stored on a USB drive. I've had and continue to have a terrific amount of fun with this. I enjoy being in the moment and thinking about how to best capture it in words to then transpose to this site.

The posts over the years more often than not sound like a travel diary. For me, that's where the fun comes into play. How do I fit exercise into travel, not to mention all the joy I find in running in new places. You can see a lot and take in more than one might imagine on a nice jog through a town.

I thank God for strong legs and I will to keep running. Thank you for reading.

Tom

Birthday Blog

It’s my birthday. As a boy, I never dreamed, though I hoped, the light of day would shine on me this long. Life is a gift, for which I am very grateful. For me, the driving force behind The Streak is wellness. I want to live a great number of years, but mostly I strive to be healthy so that I can enjoy life. I find a lot of wonderful things flow from being in good physical shape.

As much as anything, when I woke up this morning I looked forward to exercising. Afterwards I hopped on the scale, two things most don’t ever like to do, especially on a birthday. Again, I submit being active everyday has a terrific large number of benefits. That is precisely why I advocate for exercise in this blog.

Exercise. Be well. Live long. Celebrate life.

Tom

A Break and the First Look Toward 15 Years

Less than a month remains before The Streak moves into its 15th year. Some days I am confounded by this interesting and fun accomplishment. Others I dread the unfortunate day it ends. Most days I think of The Streak as a normal part of life, like brushing my teeth.

This weekend will mark the second Rest and Recovery phase in the P90X2 program. Though I struggled a bit to get back into the groove following the last week long break, I still plan to go for a change of pace. Shannan and I will visit central Florida for a four day weekend. Weather forecasts for the area are picture postcard perfect. I plan to enjoy glorious mornings running in the sun.

Exercise every day just for the fun of it.

Tom

Wrestling or Running

While working on a research project I noted scholars and sport advocates have a long and contentious debate over what is actually the oldest athletic event in the record of human history. Division exists within the scholars and the fitness gurus. Some suggest running and other maintains the designation belongs to wrestling. Both agree the two physical activities are ancient by all measures. Other areas of common ground include the supporting data that neither running nor wrestling requires gear, specific training or an exceptional physique. Both combine mental and physical endurance.

Wrestling in its purest form has a technical component as it is like a game of human chess with moves, counter moves and expectations of the opponents moves. Running can be solo sport or a competition against one or many. It tends to be much less of a guessing game. Both activities have merit as the oldest sport.

In present time, and for my purposes, wrestling is a great means to exercise and have fun. It's also amusing to watch at the collegiate and professional levels. Running can be done anywhere and at any time, without concern of an opponent, which comes in handy to obsessive exercise enthusiast like me.

Wrestle. Run. Engage in Sport.

Tom

Paying for the break

After four weeks of P90X 2 the program recommends a Rest and Recovery week of stretching and yoga. I didn't do so much of the stretching. Instead I lightened the load and engaged in 30 minutes of cardio each day. I welcomed the break. It was a nice change of pace as my shoulder had felt the toll of the brutal hour long resistance with balance routines of X2.

Sunday, I moved to phase two of the program. Yikes! Mentally and physically it took me a while to get into the groove. I am feeling the ache now. I need a recovery from the recovery week. Losing the edge due to the lighter load was difficult surmount.

Back to the grind. No pain.......

Tom

Mixed Messages

February 2, Puxatawney Phil, Pennsylvania's famous ground hog and weather prognosticator predicted six more weeks of winter. Little more than a half an hour later Beauregard Lee, Georgia's furry forecaster, indicated the opposite and his handlers proclaimed an early spring.

Here in the home state of the southern seasonal seer, our winter has been particularly mild. Lately we’ve had a fair share of rain mixed in with sunny warm days. This has the grass and daffodils in my yard terribly confused. They are growing like it's spring already.

Shannan and I took advantage and got out and enjoyed the unseasonably warm days over the weekend. We were not alone. A visit to a city park found lots of walkers, runners, and people out appreciating the sunshine. In the Atlanta area we often have a nice day or two in February, but rarely is it 62 after sundown. I love it.

Any way you look at it we are on the countdown to spring. Bring it!

Tom

Running Past & Present...It keeps getting better

An hour of nostalgic exercise made me very happy. Last fall during a reunion weekend in Decatur, GA I ran routes new and old across the first hour of morning light. This is the city where I first went out for street runs. Prior to that I had only been jogging on the high school track in Clarkston. Interestingly, lots of places, roads, and buildings had undergone some sort of change, closed or were just gone.

Overall the area had improved since I used to frequent it. Albeit my stroll down memory lane was not exactly the same, and who really expects that after 20 years? I found delight in the time I had spent there previously and in the moment. With regard to the changes, I, too, have changed over all this time. I hope mine has been mostly good as well.

Run and remember.

Tom