Tracking...

Well, things are going really well with running progress. I've had some fantastic runs and I am starting to feel a little more confident about CrossFit Endurance being adequate for the marathon.

Last weekend I ran a crazy interval workout that I made up but am really happy with:
RUN 3 miles (8 min pace) ...this was very easy and I couldn't help but exceed the Rx pace.
8 min REST
RUN 2 miles (7 min pace)....this was actually pretty tough. Just able to hit 14 min at finish.
6 min REST
RUN 1 mile (As fast as possible)...legs were spent at this point: 7:00 min
RUN 4 x 400m (all out w/ 90 sec rest)...these were killer. Avg around 1:32

On Wednesday I did a hill workout of 8 x ~120m hill sprint (2:20 rest between efforts). It is a sprint up a section of the #5 fairway at Hyland Golf Course. It is pretty steep (steepest thing around anyway) and maybe climbs 30 to 40 ft. Avg of 31 sec per effort. Next time I am going to increase to 10 efforts with a 2:30 rest.

Yesterday I ran a 10k to help assess where I should be for the marathon. Ran a 49:50- that translates to about a 3:50 marathon. I could have gone faster as my back half was almost twon and a half minutes faster than the front half.

I am running a 10 miler this weekend and will shoot for a 1:21:30. This would put me at around a 3:47 marathon. We'll see soon enough.

HELEN!! A measure of power increase

One of my favorite workouts! Came home yesterday and busted it out at lunch. In February I did it in 10:30. On July 15th I did it in 13:45...I want to throw up just thinking of that performance. Well, after only two and a half months of training I just completed my fastest Helen yet...

HELEN
3 rounds for time of:
400 m Run
21 Kettle Bell Swings, 55 lbs
12 Pull-Ups

Time: 9:08

Some quick physics and math and we can determine power increase... Power=Work/time. The Work (completing Helen) hasn't changed but the time to complete that Work, and therefore Power, have changed. For the sake of simplicity I am not going to use units but just derive a percentage of power change.

For the July performance I completed W (Work of Helen) in a t (time) of 825 seconds. For the sake of simplicity I am going to say the value of W is 825. I could use any value here but this just makes calculations easy as it conveniently gives me a baseline P (power) of 1, P=W/t = 825/825.
Using the same value for W and plugging in the new value for t we get P=825/548, P= 1.505. That would indicate a power increase of 50.5%

Now, from a physics stand point this is not accurate because W did actually change between July and yesterday. The fact is that I lost 6 lbs since the July performance. That means I need less F (force) to move my m (mass) across a fixed d (distance), W = F x d; therefore the amount of W performed yesterday was less than in July. Ultimately that means all of the difference in performance cannot be attributed to simply an increase of P but also a decrease in W.

From a practicle standpoint no one cares about the physics; they just see the 50.5% as a measure of performance increase (this can be said to be the true percentage increase of average velocity over a given distance as velocity = distance/time. Notice that unlike Work, distance did not change between the July and September performances). When runners compete they are all completing different W as their masses are different while they run across the same distance. People do not care about the amount of Work the runner completed as they cross the finish line; they care about who completed the task first and by how much. Regardless, we can probably find a way to reasonably account for the mass and Work differences and therefore Power difference.

The 6 lbs decrease in weight is equal to a 3.125% reduction in mass. Considering Work = mass x acceleration x distance, where any acceleration difference between July and September is negligable, we can reasonably assume for any task where I am moving my mass across a fixed distance, that the Work is decreased by 3.125%. This is a very safe assumption considering that a 55 lbs weight is added to one of the tasks of Helen, Kettle Bell Swings. This mass does not change, accounts for considerable movement distance and therefore it can be reasonably assumed that the percentage of Work decrease for the entire task of Helen is actually less than 3.125%.

Using the 3.125% reduction figure the work performed yesterday would be approximately 825 - (825 x 0.03125) = 799.218. Using this new work figure we can find a lower end Power percentage improvement: P = 799.218 / 548 = 1.458.

These two calculations show a 45.8% to 50.5% increase in Power in less than 3 months!

Finally, a last measurement is how much faster I completed the task in September compared to July: (825 sec - 548 sec) / 825 sec = 33.57% reduction in time.

Either way, this is a huge performance improvement that I am very happy with.

Progress, progress, progress...

This weekend I ran a one mile time trial. According to Jeff Galloway you can use this test to predict your marathon time. You multiply your one mile time by 1.3 to establish your base pace for the marathon. For every 5 degrees above 60 F you expect on race day you add 30 secs to the pace. I ran the mile time trial in 6:02 (362 sec). 362 sec x 1.3 = 471 sec. I assume that on race day the average temp will be around 70 F so I will add a minute to my pace... 471 sec + 60 sec = 531 sec. Pace x distance = expected time: 531 sec/mile x 26.2 miles = 13902 sec. That translates to 3 hours and 52 minutes.

I also did a CrossFit Total on Friday. I matched my dead lift from this past winter and my squat and shoulder press were only 5 lbs short. Needless to say I have made huge progress in the past two and a half months.

I have 3 more weeks of hard training followed by a two week taper. Hopefully that will ensure a sub-four hour marathon and get me close to the 3h 45min goal. If it does I think it is pretty safe to say that CrossFit plus CrossFit Endurance yielded significantly better results than a traditional LSD (long, slow, distance)/"cardio" training.

Yeah, so it's almost been 6 weeks...so what?!!! I've been busy!! At least I am keeping up with the training!

It's actually going really well. I have made good progress all around and I still have just under 6 weeks until race day. My strength is still behind where I was in February but my endurance is way better. I really feel that the intervals have had a big hand in the rapid progress but I am still uncertain as to how it will play out over 26.2 miles.

I think I am going to be a bit shy of my dead lifting goal but I should be able to hit the 35 pull ups. Weight is dropping consistently (after a little plateau) and I am down 13 lbs to 187... only 7 lbs to go; should be easy.

About 3 or 4 weeks ago I did a one mile time trial and, with a 6:32, knocked over 30 seconds off my first attempt. While that is great I think I need to knock off another 42 seconds to get a time that the Jeff Galloway "Magic Mile" would predict for me to run a 3 hour, 45 min marathon. My next 1 mile time trial is this Saturday. We'll see.

Workout Journal Entry #25

Wow! It's been a full week since I posted...don't worry I haven't given up. I was on the road for business last week and just got out of the habit.

Had some amazing workouts and I hope to soon put in another one mile time trial to re-assess my "Miracle Mile" marathon prediction.

Some items of note:

-Deadlifted 315 lbs- Did two workouts right on top of each other without the normal 3+ hours of rest inbetween. Went from heavy deadlifting to a 4 mile fartlek. Wow! the deadlifting really takes it out of the legs.

- Did the "Filthy Fifty" workout...brutal. It's a total of 500 reps of ten various exercises including 24" box jump, burpees, 20lbs wall-balls, pull ups...brutal...every station I walked away from had a puddle of sweat- 49 minutes of brutalness. I took two days off after this workout. Did I mention that it was brutal?

- Yesterday was a great complete body workout. Started with "Lynne" which is 5 sets of max reps body weight bench press followed by max reps pull-ups. 10 sets of MAX reps to the upper body is great! I followed that up with 6 x 400m run. 2 minutes rest between each run. Was able to keep close to the same pace for every run (3 sec delta) but the last two were close to an all out effort to keep that pace. Totally zapped the legs.

- I am trying to transition to The Zone diet/nutrition program. Seems like a great program. Will write more later.

I hope to be more consistent with the blogging as the weeks were on. Thanks for the support and don't forget to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Workout Journal Entry #17

Great day today! Some hard workouts including the first day of intervals. I can tell my legs are going to be blasted tomorrow but that's what recovery days are for.

Morning stats-
Blood pressure: 98/53, Heart rate: 51, Weight:193 lbs

Morning Workout:
Clean
1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (7 sets of 1 rep for max effort)

135 lbs, 155 lbs, 155 lbs, 165 lbs (fail), 165 lbs, 165 lbs, 165 lbs

Afternoon Workout:
RUN- Intervals
Warm up and 10 minutes of POSE drills followed by
3 sets for max effort of:
200m, Rest 100m walk
400m, Rest 200m walk
600m, Rest 200m walk

Total intervals: 3600m

Time: forgot watch

Notes: Happy w/ Clean. Have never really tried max weight before. I felt my form, range of motion and control were good. I can really feel it in my legs. This afternoons interval were brutal but i got through them. My legs will be singing tomorrow. We are getting into the deep end of the training pool. Got to make sure I am well warmed up for this stuff to prevent injuries.

Workout Journal Entry #16 and Heroes

Yesterday was an off day and it was great- I was tired! Celebrated Graham's One-Month Birthday and the party wore me out! For as tired as this training is making me I hope I am making significant progress. In the past two weeks I have lost seven pounds and raised, with your help, $275 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital but it is still a little early to start measuring physical improvement. Maybe next weekend.

Moring Stats-
Blood Pressure: 102/55, Heart Rate: 51, Weight: 193 lbs.

Afternoon Workout

"Nancy"
5 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps (scaled to 75 lbs)

Time: 25 min, 55 sec

Notes: Didn't sleep very well because Graham was being fusy. Will probably move him out of our bedroom soon. As for the workout, this is the first one that I have had to scale. Overhead squats are extremely difficult and require a lot of core strength and hip and shoulder flexibility. Next time I should be able to do it as perscribed.

Tomorrow is the first day of intervals. Should be brutal!

These are the two fire fighters that pulled a woman and her two kids out of a burning SUV; an event that was all caught on tape (see Thursday's blog entry). Their name are John and Joel Rechlitz. They are BAMFs!

“It was horrific,” Joel Rechlitz told Holt. “The car was engulfed in flames and the child was in there screaming. All I could see was that child’s face, [which] seemed just perfectly fine, but you could see the car seat around the child was burning. The child was literally burning in front of me.

“It was horrific,” he reiterated. “It compelled you to act.”

Read more about their heroics here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32006584/ns/today-today_people/

Workout Journal Entry #14

Need to sleep more didn't turn off the lights until midnight. Surprised heart rate wasn't elevated.

Morning stats-
Blood Pressure: 99/58, Heart Rate: 53, Weight: 193 lbs

Morning Workout:
Thrusters
1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Weights: 115 lbs, 125 lbs, 135 lbs, 145 lbs, 155 lbs, 165 lbs (fail), 155 lbs

Afternoon Workout:
15 min POSE Running Drills
"Front Nine" 2.75 mile (practice POSE running)
Time: 24 min, 0 sec

Notes: Really need to sleep more. Recovery is why we get better, not more training. I really need to practice thrusters. I can squat and I can shoulder press but you put the two together and it kills me. Must get better if i ever want a decent "Fran" time. Been working on POSE running and its making my calves sore as I am adapting. Didn't really run for time but to practice POSE.

Unrelated here is an amazing video of some real life heroes pulling a woman and her two kids out of a burning car. This is straight out of the movie "Crash" but better- its real.

Workout Journal Entry #13

Tired this morning. Pushed the morning workout to after work. I have to get more sleep. I say that as I work on this blog entry after 11 pm.

Morning stats:
Blood pressure: 101/58, Heart Rate: 51, Weight: 193 lbs

Afternoon Workout:
"CORE"
For time complete 5 rounds of:
15 reps Deadlift, 185 lbs
30 Sit-Ups w/ 20 lbs medicine ball

Time: 18 min, 10 sec

Notes: This was a lot harder than I thought and I thought the deadlifts would be harder than the sit-ups and the opposite was the case. Calves are sore. Mostly from the POSE running. Legs will have to get used to it.

Here is a moto video...highlights from the 2009 CrossFit Games

Workout Journal Entry #12

Great training day! Motivation has been climbing every day and I am looking forward to seeing my progress in the next couple of weeks.

Morning stats-
Blood Pressure: 109/54, Heart Rate: 50, Weight: 192 lbs

Morning Workout:
While wearing a 20 lbs vest complete for time:
5 rounds of:
5 strict pull-ups
5 kipping pull-ups
5 jumping pull-ups

Time: 17 minutes, 48 seconds

Afternoon Workout:
15 minutes of POSE Running drills &
RUN- 3 Mile Fartlek
First 5 minutes run as warm up followed by 8 rounds of
1 minute ON (75%)
1 minute EASY (50%)

Time: 25 min, 20 sec

Notes: Morning stats are pretty good although my weight loss is not sustainable. Most likely due to dehydration. If it doesn't stabilize then I might have to back off. Pull-up workout was harder than I thought; I actually scaled the reps from what my original plan was. Just started on POSE running (more about that later) and it actually is coming along quite naturally. Will definitely require more getting used to and more practice.

Here is a little motivation. This was almost exactly 10 years ago. Lance's first year back in the Tour after beating cancer. No one really new what he could do and after surprising people by taking the yellow jersey in the time trial people thought he would crack in the mountains. I remember watching this stage and jumping up and down on my bed as I watched this with my own eyes...you could hear the astonishment in the announcers voices. This was epic! Enjoy!

Progress, Thanks and Motivation

Well, the first full calendar week came and went without any major catastrophes (no injuries). I did get a fair assessment at my current fitness- pathetic -but my motivation has been growing by the day. Right now by my and other estimates I would run a marathon in about 5 hours and 15 minutes. That's 67 minutes slower than my PR and 90 slower than my goal...I will need to knock off over 3 minutes/mile for the entire marathon! Despite this overwhelming challenge my motivation is not phased and that is in large part because of YOU and the progress we have made in fund raising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Just ten or so days into it and we have already raised $275- over 25% of our fund raising goal! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
If you haven't had a chance to contribute please go to my St. Jude Fund Raising site.

As many of you are aware I am not going to be doing your traditional endurance/marathon training. I think it takes too long in terms of required training hours and the speed of progress. Instead I am using only CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance. With that, some might find it interesting that my total workout time this past week, including warm up and cool down, was only 4 hours and 45 minutes. Should be interesting to see what kind of results I get in 96 days.

I found this today. If you have never done "Helen" then it will be hard for you to grasp the physical accomplishment that this is. For some context, when I was in great shape I did "Helen" in about 9:15. Five months ago when I was in okay shape I did it in about 10:30. This past week, over 13 minutes...this guy goes sub-seven minutes. Oh, and that big metal ball he is swinging is 53lbs. For those of you that have done "Helen" prepare to be amazed. Enjoy!

Workout Journal Entry #10

Morning Stats-
Blood pressure:94/52 (strange), Heart Rate: 55, Weight: 194 lbs

Afternoon Workout:

Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3-3 (6 sets of 3 reps)

225 lbs, 245 lbs, 265 lbs, 275 lbs, 285 lbs, 295 lbs


Evening Workout:
RUN- "Round of Golf"
Run the 18 holes of Hyland Hills Golf Course, about 5 miles

Time: 48 min, 22 sec

Notes: I love CrossFit. I haven't done a single crunch or sit up and my stomach is sore...not sure what from but I know it got worked. Deadlift was as expected...weak- 65 lbs short of my goal. As for the 5 mile run it was slow but it definitely feels like its getting better. Utilizing a calculator from Hill Runner I was able to get a little more insight on my expected marathon time. According to Hill Runner, in my current shape I should be able to run a marathon in 4 hours and 40 minutes. This of course assumes that I am prepared for that distance, which I am not. So realistically, assuming that my knees could survive it would probably be more like five to five and a half hours.

Workout Journal Entry #9

Morning Stats-
Blood Pressure 109/60, Heart Rate: 56, Weight: 194 lbs

Morning Workout:
"CINDY"
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups,
10 push-ups,
15 squats

Completed: 16 rounds and 3 pull ups

Afternoon Workout:
RUN - 1 mile Time Trial

Time: 7 minutes, 8 seconds

Notes: Cindy was fine though I slowed down quite a bit by the end...and my push ups are horrific right now. Did the run in order to further assess my fitness. Using Jeff Galloway's Magic Mile Race Predictor I was able to figure out what I would run the marathon in today. Taking my mile time and assuming that it will be 70 F during the race I should be able to run the race today in about 4 hours and 30 minutes. Now that assumes that I am adequately training/trained to run that distance; I am not. I think it would be fair to say that right now it would take me at least 5 hours and 30 minutes- that's an hour and 22 minutes slower than my PR and an hour and 45 minutes slower than my goal! Can I shave 1 hour and 45 minutes off my expected marathon time in 3 months and a week? We'll see!

Mikko Salo, 2009 CrossFit Games Champion

Workout Journal Entry #8

"That's not SWEAT; it's your body CRYING!" --CrossFit

Morning Stats-

Waking Blood Pressure: 106/53, Heart Rate: 52, Weight: 195 lbs

Morning Workout:

BACK SQUAT (CrossFit style, a.k.a. deep squats)

3-3-3-3-3-3 reps, post weights lifted.

185 lbs, 205 lbs, 225 lbs, 235 lbs, 245 lbs, 255 lbs

Afternoon Workout:

RUN - "The Front Nine" (Front nine hole of Hyland Hills Golf Course. From door through course to door it's about 2.75 miles.

Time: 23 min, 58 seconds

Notes: Squats actually felt half good. My max five months ago was 295 lbs so a work up to 255 lbs is almost satisfying. Today's run was not as horrible, instead, just really bad. I have a few more of these pathetic runs before I start the fartleks and then the intervals. Someone help me!

The PROGRAM - Part 2 (Recovery Day)

Until recently I had always viewed CrossFit as either a complete program for the enthusiast/fitness junky or as cross training or a means of supplementing a sport specific training regimen. While CrossFit was awesome I always assumed that a marathoner or Ironman distance triathlete would still want to train "cardio" with a program that relied on LSD (long, slow, distance) workouts. This has been endurance dogma forever. Makes sense, right? Well, not necessarily.


Welcome to CrossFit Endurance! CrossFit Endurance (CFE) advocates that the same principles utilized by CrossFit's main strength and conditioning program should be incorporated into any endurance specific training. CFE advocates that LSD training is inefficient, makes athletes more prone to injury and cripples an athlete power and speed. Following along with the principles of CrossFit, interval and tempo work (anerobic training) is more efficient, just as effective at developing the cardiovascular system, also develops speed and power, is less dangerous to the athlete (if done properly) and requires less time.

According to the CFE website an endurance athlete should follow the prescribed CrossFit Workout of the Day and supplement with just two to three CFE workouts for a single discipline endurance athlete and three to five workouts for triathletes. It continues by saying that with this approach even ultra marathon athletes should need no more than six to eight hours of training per week to get even better results than the traditional LSD based workouts.

For anyone that is an endurance enthusiast this is radical in its implication, blasphemous, almost earth shattering. This flies in the face of everything I was taught about endurance training for twenty years. For most, this concept will be beyond acceptance. Considering the growing swell of CrossFit popularity, in the near future we might witness the mainstream concepts of endurance challenged openly in the classrooms, gyms and even on the podiums of elite international competitions.

As for me, I will try this less travelled route. Maybe it will pay off...every experience I have had with CrossFit has exceded expectations so far; hopefully this will be no different. Maybe on October 25th I'll cross the finish line in 3 hours and 45 minutes right after deadlifting 360 lbs and busting out 35 pull-up...yeah, and maybe I'll become a Chinese fighter pilot...

Workout Journal Entry #6

Morning Stats: Blood Pressure: 106/59, Heart Rate: 54, Weight: 192

Morning Workout:
"Helen"
Complete 3 rounds for time of:
400 m Run
21 Kettle bell Swings, 55 lbs
12 Pull-Ups

Time: 13 min, 45 sec

Notes: Horrible, horrible, horrible...am I noticing a trend? I must be flippin' crazy! I am in worse shape than I thought. A few months ago I did this in just over 10 minutes. Hands are torn up and i should lay off the pull ups for a few days. Tomorrow is a recovery day.

Workout Journal Entry #5

Double workout today...

Morning Stats: Blood Pressure: 112/59, Heart Rate: 52, Weight: 193 (dehydrated, must drink more)

Morning Workout:
"Pull Up Ladder"
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute. Each set starts at the top of the minute...continue as long as you are able in the time constraint.

Completed: 12 sets (78 reps)

Afternoon Workout:
4 mile EASY run

Time: 37 min, 14 seconds

Notes: I love this pull up workout but horrible results today. My PR for this workout is 16 sets. Hands are already torn up. Today's run was just an easy "get to know you" kind of a run. Too bad I was feeling it at the end even at that slow pace.From 2009 CrossFit Games

Workout Journal Entry #4

Well, it's been about a week now and things are going well (no casualties). This is my first workout posting but I will start posting most of them. I am also going to post waking blood pressure, heart rate (HR) and weight. These will help determine progress but more importantly they are good warnings of overtraining. If HR spikes or weight drops too quickly then its time to take a few days off.

Waking blood pressure: 108/61, HR: 51 bpm weight: 195 lbs (dehydrated)

Morning Workout:

"Mile 26"

Four rounds for time of:

800 meter run

10 Deadlifts, 190 lbs

Time: 20:45

Notes: So named because the last half of the workout feels like the last mile of a marathon. Happy with the effort today...not so much the time.

The PROGRAM - Part 1

If I am to have any chance at meeting my goals I need a training program that is effective at creating the maximum metabolic response for the fastest progress. Since my goals span several characteristics of fitness (endurance, stamina, speed, power, strength), I need a program that will rapidly develop these various characteristics. The program that will give me the best chance for success is CrossFit.

CrossFit is a training program aimed at developing an elite level of function fitness that is, by design, general and inclusive. It's specialty is in not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist. CrossFit is designed to induce the greatest metabolic response by utilizing complex, high-intensity, multi-joint exercises based on Olympic lifting, gymnastics, intervals, plyometrics and sport application.

"...strive to blur the distinction between "cardio" and strength training. Nature has no regard for this distinction." - Greg Glassman, Founder of CrossFit

So why does someone that is training for a marathon want a strength and conditioning program that practices deadlifts, handstand push-ups and rope climbing? Besides the obvious of also training for strength goals, I would also argue that this type of training is a need even when training for an endurance event. CrossFit is based on the scientifically supported idea that "cardio" training is very ineffective in building overall fitness. That is, an athlete that only utilizes endurance training will develop a high level of cardiovascular fitness but that athlete will be grossly underdeveloped in the functions of speed, power, strength, agility and coordination. Conversely, an athlete that trains predominantly at an anaerobic level will not only develop speed, power and strength but also develop a high level of cardiovascular fitness.

A simple comparison to help explain the concept: if you took a world class decathlete and a world class distance runner and had them compete in a long distance run the distance runner would most likely win this race BUT that win would be by a smaller margin, in terms of percentage, than the decathlete would win in a sprint or any contest requiring speed, strength or power...the decathlete would be more competitive in endurance events than the endurance athlete would be in anything else. CrossFit would consider the decathlete to be fitter.

I am seeking CrossFit fitness.

(to be continued)

Goals

Goals- you got to have them. For me they provide a more tangible degree of motivation than the nebulous notion of fitness for the sake of wellness. Taking it a step further, having publicized goals makes the notion of failure less palatable. It dilutes the feasibility of devising excuses for not getting up at six a.m. or failing all together. Publicizing these goals will help keep me motivated, on track and accountable. Publicizing these goals is a blessing and a curse.

In order to increase the degree of motivation I am giving myself a penalty for any goals not met. So let's have them:
1) Raise at least $1,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (SJCRH) . If I am short I will contribute an additional $100 to my original contribution.
2) Run a 3 hour 45 minute marathon. This will shatter my PR by 23 minutes. This is nearly impossible considering my current level of fitness and the proximity of the marathon. For every minute that I am over I will contribute an addition $10 to SJCRH.
3) Max Dead Lift two times my bodyweight (hopefully 350-360 lbs) by the day of the marathon. For every pound I am short I will contribute $5 to SJCRH.
4) Max set of Pull Ups of 35 reps by the day of the marathon. For every rep that I am short I will contribute $5 to SJCRH.
5) Get my body weight down to 180 lbs by race day. For every pound that I am over I will contribute $5 to SJCRH.

There! It's in writing for all to see. There's no turning back now. There's no notion of simply surviving. The next 106 days will be a perpetual training montage. Hope you follow along and enjoy.

Please also remember to make contributions at www.stjudeheroes.org/andrepardo

OMG!

"How did it come to this? Two-hundred pounds and the worst shape of my life. I am getting too old to let myself go this far." That's what I thought as I looked at the scale feeling sorry for myself last week. Only five months ago I was in good shape and training for a summer of triathlons. Then a bombshell went off at work and my work day grew by four to five hours. Working out was out the window and motivation was fast on its heels.

So, this week I decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25th in Washington D.C. Yeah, less than four months to go from a two-hundred pound slug to running a marathon. And not just running and surviving but I want to actually PR. The last time I ran the MCM in 2007, I ran it in 4 hours and 8 minutes, a time I was happy with considering I barely trained specifically for the marathon. I was heavy into CrossFit then and I would guess that I was in the best overall shape of my life. After Christmas of 2007 I fell into a slump that took me a year to start to turn around. I was well on my way out when this past February work happened.

So here I am, about 106 days until D-Day, fat but motivated. I am motivated not just to get into better shape and survive the marathon with diginity and bowel control in tact but I am now running for a great cause. I am running and fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases. With research and patient care under one roof, St. Jude is where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do science more quickly. All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.

Please follow along as I chronicle the pains and tribulations of the next three and a half months. While misery may love company it will settle for spectators. I will post regularly with pictures, workouts, nutritional info and progress in general.

Please also support me and St Jude. You can visit my fundrasing website at www.www.mystjudeheroes.org/andrepardo