The countdown is on

Only 4 more days until I start the "Master Cleanse."

I decided, a while back, that I wanted to do a 10 day Master Cleanse to rid my body of many of the toxins that it has accumulated over my 40 years. That start day is February 1, 2010. Monday.

For 10 days, I will only consume a lemon-maple syrup-cayenne drink that is suppose to help release any toxins found into my body so that I may flush them out. From what I've been reading about the Master Cleanse, it won't be easy, but it will be rewarding once it is over.

During the cleanse, I will try to post progress reports on how it is going.

If you are interested in reading more about the Master Cleanse, check out the website dedicated to it.

Should be fun.

HHM Challenge - Race

Tomorrow is the race, but since I was sick all day yesterday, and I only feel about 90% today, I'm going to have to skip tomorrow's run. So 18 weeks of training and it all falls apart because of the flu. At least I've been running all this time and should be ready to start my next challenge in a couple of weeks.

HHM Challenge - No Runs # 30 & 31

On Wednesday past I missed my run due to work obligations. I had full intentions on picking it up on Thursday, until my son came down with the flu and I stayed home with him as my wife worked (I have more sick days to use than my wife). That meant I would have to run on Friday and miss Run #30.

Late Thursday night I started with the flu and spent most of the night up dealing with that. That left me on the couch all day Friday, essentially missing run #31.

HHM Challenge - Run # 51

Made it out for a run today, but didn't have the desire, so it wasn't as long as it was scheduled to, nor was my pace anywhere near what it was suppose to be.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	steady	various	not good
Distance	10 Km	5.25 Km	total: 287.5 km
Pace	6:36	7:09	not close to race pace
Average HR	127-145	156	little high
Max HR	181	173	little high
Calories Burned		661	total: 35531

I started off good by doing an 11:1, but after that, it all went downhill and I walked more than what I should have. Not sure why it was a bad run other than my head just wasn't into it. 2 more runs and then the half marathon, which should be fun. My goal now, apart from finishing it, is to try to do it in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Happy Birthday Little Man

Today is my son's 3rd birthday and I would like to wish him a very Happy Birthday. Mommy and Daddy love you very much.

HHM Challenge - No Run # 28, # 29 & Run # 50

Missed my last run during the week, but made it out today to do my last long run (tomorrow's run) before the event. I will also be missing tomorrow's run (what should have been run today).

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	LSR	10:1	good
Distance	6 Km	10 Km	total: 282.25 km
Pace	7:19	6:51	close to race pace
Average HR	127-145	160	little high
Max HR	181	173	little high
Calories Burned		1330	total: 34870

As you can see, my pace was decent enough that I'd be happy if I could maintain that pace for the actual event. I know it isn't the goal pace (6:36/km), but since I've missed plenty of runs over the past month, I'll take it.

HHM Challenge - No Runs # 25, # 26 & # 27

It hasn't been a good week. I'm been on course and don't have time at lunch to make it out for my runs. In the evening I don't make it out as it is not fair for my wife to be left alone with the kids after she has put in a day at work too (always better to divide and conquer). So this week I've missed a few runs. Looking forward to getting out for over 1 hour this weekend and putting in the last few runs next week before the event happens.

HHM Challenge - Run # 49

Made it out for my last LSR of this training. It was suppose to be tomorrow but my wife is going out with my son, leaving me with my girls, so I won't get a chance to run.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	LSR	9:1	better
Distance	20 Km	15 Km	total: 272.25 km
Pace	7:19	7:10	good
Average HR	127-145	154	little high
Max HR	181	166	good
Calories Burned		1991	total: 33540

Even though I didn't reach 20k, I wasn't trying to. I was mostly going out to see how it felt and even when I was almost home, I felt OK. I was tired, but I knew I could tough it out another 6 k. So in 2 weeks, I should be fine, I just won't set any BR.

HHM Challenge - Run # 48

Had a good run today. Much better than the past 2 days.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Steady	8:1	better
Distance	6 Km	6 Km	total: 257.25 km
Pace	7:19	7:02	OK
Average HR	127-145	161	little high
Max HR	181	181	too high
Calories Burned		758	total: 31549

Other than my HR being high, it was a good run. The roads/sidewalks were much cleaner (not perfectly clean though) and that made it easier to keep a steady pace.

HHM Challenge - Run # 47

Another run today, but I just didn't have it.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Steady	variety	not good
Distance	6 Km	3 Km	total: 251.25 km
Pace	7:19	7:41	slow
Average HR	127-145	147	too much walking
Max HR	181	170	little high
Calories Burned		358	total: 30791

I can come up with tonnes of excuses as to why my run was no good, but I won't. I just need to step it up if I'm going to get through this half marathon.

HHM Challenge - Run # 46

Made it out for a run today. It was suppose to be a Tempo run (fast), but due to lack of traction on the ground (way too much snow), it turned into a slow run.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	7:1	not good
Distance	6 Km	6 Km	total: 248.25 km
Pace	7:19	7:34	slow
Average HR	127-145	157	little high
Max HR	181	167	better
Calories Burned		744	total: 30433

I think with the fact that the snow is not going away, and I have missed several runs lately, all my upcoming runs will be Steady runs where I try to get back to 10:1s. Because there was no footing, it was very hard to generate any speed, but my HR still felt like it was working hard.

New York Giants Final Report Card

Well the inevitable happened, they fell apart at the end of the season. Instead of making a strong push for the playoffs, they folded under pressure. Actually, they didn't even show up for their final two games.

Offense
During this last quarter, the offense managed to put up big points against Philadelphia (loss) and Washington (win), but never got on track against Carolina and Minnesota.

Defense
Other than the Washington game where they held them to 12 points, the defense could not stop anybody. Lack of leadership and desire to win really showed it's ugly head and it was obvious to all who watched that this team was not your typical Giants defense.

Special Teams
Same old same old. Nothing great, but not that bad. Personally I think Tynes (kicker) and Feagles (punter) are done as Giants and would welcome some new blood in those positions.

Overall, I would give this quarter an F as they only won 1 game and were embarrassed in the last 2. I would also give the overall season an F as they were expected to do well again this year and they ended up missing the playoffs for the first time in 6 years.

On another note, Eli Manning had a Personal Best year with 4027 passing yards, 27 TDs, a completion rate of 62.3% and a Passer rating of 93.1, while Steve Smith set a new Giants record for most catches in a season with 107. Congrats to those guys and look forward to seeing what the offense can do next year.

2010 Personal Goals

I've decided, instead of setting New Year's resolutions, I will set some goals for 2010 and try to reach them.

Here's what I will try to accomplish:

Goal #1 - Lose 24 lbs.
That works out to 2 pounds a month, or 0.5 pounds a week. This is something that I should be able to reach, as it doesn't take much sacrifice to lose that little weight. The big key is that I need to be patient with my results and if I can, this time next year I'll be much healthier.

Goal #2 - Run 3 Half Marathons
The first will be in less than 3 weeks, while the 2nd should be at the end of May. The last will either be in September or October of this year. All of this training should help me reach Goal #1 and get me into a better shape than what I currently am in.

Goal #3 - Spend less money on irrelevant things.
What I'm looking to curb with this goal is the amount of money I spend each month on breakfast and lunch items when I'm at work. It is not that much money, but cutting this back, helps me put money towards other things, like possibly another NFL game in the fall.

Goal #4 - Focus more at work.
I know that if I can spend less time reading/writing blogs and/or browsing the Internet and spend more time doing actual work, my production would increase better than 1:1.

4 simple goals for 2010, that I will do my best to reach.

HHM Challenge - No Run # 24

With all the snow we received yesterday, I spent 3 hours shoveling instead of running, so my LSR did not happen. Even if I made it out, it would have been very difficult to run with all the snow all over the place. Less than 3 weeks to go. Not looking like I will hit my 2:15 goal time, but as long as I do it and finish it, that will be good enough.

HHM Challenge - Run # 45

Tried to make it out for a run today, but it was very cold and I was tired, so I didn't get my full run in.

Here are my numbers:

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Steady	inconsistent	not good
Distance	6 Km	4.25 Km	total: 242.25 km
Pace	7:19	7:33	slow
Average HR	127-145	156	little high
Max HR	181	169	little high
Calories Burned		526	total: 29689

As you can see, I didn't make it the full distance I was suppose to, nor was my speed close to where it needs to be. At the moment, I'm starting to be worried about whether or not I will be able to do/finish the Half Marathon. I really need to step it up in the coming weeks to be close to ready. Now that the holiday season is over, I need to focus.