So you say .. "You have special shoes because you have plantar fasciitis."
I say, "You have plantar fasciitis because you have special shoes."
Go minimalist. Go Vibrams.
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Go Vibrams
So you say .. "You have special shoes because you have plantar fasciitis."
I say, "You have plantar fasciitis because you have special shoes."
Go minimalist. Go Vibrams.
Warrior Dash 2011!
Warrior Dash 2011
Just finished Warrior Dash, first one ever for me and my wife, and boy it was great! Here is a little back-story on *why* I did this and also the breakdown of our day (complete with pics).
First, a little back-story.
If you're reading this and if you know me at all, you're at least a bit familiar with my personal weight-loss journey. The following is the short version, for those of you who may not know. About a year or so ago, I started taking my health seriously. Weight-loss was a good start, I figured. And so I started. As of right now, I've lost 70lbs but I still have more to go.
So there is that.
Also if you know me, you know that I promote the Body By Vi 90-Day Challenge. I've used the convenient protein shakes for breakfast that have went along with, and helped me stay on track with, my primal nutrition. Changing my mindset about food and it's roll in my life has led to the weight-loss success that I've had. Primal nutrition and lifestyle has been my focus and the Body By Vi Challenge has provided the convenience for me to stay on track.
So there is that too :)
Where does Warrior Dash fit into all this you may ask? Well you may not be asking, but I'm assuming you did otherwise I couldn't continue this post and since I am, it must mean I'm guessing you asked :)
After losing much weight I just wanted to do "something" that kinda puts an exclamation mark in things. My friend Fred, talked to me about Warrior Dash and I was immediately hooked.
Now Warrior Dash isn't really for the timid. Its a 3-mile obstacle course with barriers that include cargo-net climbs, fire, mud-crawls and barbed-wire. GREAT fun! I highly recommend it.
So Rob, did you train for this? Cause it sounds pretty tough.
Er, um ... ah .. yes and no. I started training for it and then shiny things in life happened. Before you know it, the day of the dash was here with me wondering if I was going to even survive this thing or not.
THREE miles? I'd never ran farther than a mile in my life.
But this isn't grade-school gym class I realized. I didn't HAVE to run the entire way and my goal was completing the course, doing every obstacle .. sort of a scouting mission to see how much I liked this type of run. I wasn't worried about winning it because a *win* in my mind was just getting through it. And I have my friend Fred to thank for keeping me on track with that kind of thinking (thanks man).
Plus I got to go with my wife who surprised me by wanting to do this with me.
With my wife joining up, it DID cause us to do some training as a family. Which led to games in our yard, more family and fun. That's always a good thing!
All in all Warrior Dash was amazing-ubr-cool-super-fun with a generous dollup of mud!
For those of you still reading here is a breakdown of the barriers along with what pics we have of before and after shots :)
Barricade Breakdown
What this was:
This was a fairly simple barrier. Four-foot walls that you jump/fall over, followed immediately by barbed wire that you crawl under. Repeat about 5 times.
How we fared:
Pretty good. We'd ran a bit over a mile at this point at had some water. Running through the woods/fields over our first mile was fun and I think we were pretty jazzed up about our first obstacle. I found that a jump-butt-down-spin-move on the wall was effective followed by much grunting as I lumbered under the barb wire trying to keep my butt out of it.
Chaotic Crossover
What this was:
The tension mounts a bit higher as we come up to a horizontal cargo net. Climb up to the net's level, then crawl, roll and somehow get across.
How we fared:
Again really well. Still fairly fresh (though I'm certain our armpits were a testament to the contrary) this wasn't bad. Both my wife and I wear "those toe shoes" .. otherwise known as the coolest shoes on the planet. I felt those gave us a significant advantage in mobility. You could really feel the cargo neat beneath your feet and even hold on with your toes as needed.
Assassin's Escape
What this was:
This was basically run/climb up a set of stairs then slide down the fireman's pole at the other side.
How we fared:
Nailed it. Heather and I both wondered why some folks seemed to struggle with this one. Basically though we just stepped on their bodies and ran to the next obstacle (I'm only kidding, we didn't step on anybody, we just kicked them to the ditch).
Teetering Traverse
What this was:
Narrow ramps, up high. Think ramps to a chicken-coupe but 5 feet off the ground.
How we fared:
Again we nailed this one. I'd seen videos of this on YouTube and clearly too many city-folks have never climbed around on the farm. This was easy and we simply jogged across it.
Great Warrior Wall
What this was:
A vertical rope climb wall with some footholds. We were concerned about this one.
How we fared:
This took some strength out of us but was still doable. The knots on the rope weren't very close together so you had to have some grip strength to get up that wall. The footholds made it much easier. Not being a *huge fan* of heights though, flipping over the wall at the top to grab the ladder rungs on the way down was a tad unnerving.
Storming Normandy
What this was:
Military styled "X" barricades with barbed-wire. Basically barb n' weave is the ticket here.
How we fared:
Starting to feel the course at this point. Basically bear-crawled most of the way through this one. Picture guy at the end, so make that exit from the barbed-wire count!
Giant Cliffhanger
What this was:
Big wall. Climb hard or go home.
How we fared:
We climbed hard. This was a big wall .. just big. Probably 25 feet or so. Again our Vibrams gave us fantastic feel/traction on the ascent. Other regular-shoe-wearing folks were slipping back down. We ambled right up it though, gingerly flipped over the top, and climbed down. Tall obstacle, not for those with serious height-issues.
Satan's Steps
What this was:
Sheets of plywood, centered over 4x4 posts which were loosely set in the ground. You had to jump from post to post, landing as close to center as possible, so you could stay stable. Jumping near the edge of the plywood might make you fall 5 to 6 feet to the ground while being scraped up by the plywood as you pass it.
How we fared:
Not bad. This was a mental thing really. Though if you have short legs like my lovely wife, it can be a challenge to leap that far. The guy who nearly ran her over though (jerk) didn't seem to have a problem with the obstacle.
Deadman's Drop
What this is:
Big ladder on one side, splinter-laden plywood to slide down on the other side.
How we fared:
Not too shabby. The climb up was easy enough. The slide down the other side, well you just had to be careful. I held on with my hands, facing the plywood wall, for as long as I could, bunching my feet up under me. Once I got low enough I just kicked away from the wall, spun in mid-air, and landed. My coolest move of the day so I had to outline it here :)
Cargo Climb
What this was:
Big, big cargo net climb. Up one side and down the other.
How we fared:
This is the first of the last three obstacles. Finish line is in site at this point. So the energy comes rushing back. Once again, the ability to feel things with your feet is awesome with Vibrams. Someone ran past me saluting the Vibrams even and he was wearing some too.
Warrior Roast
What this was:
Fire. Jump high or chestnuts roasting comes early this year.
How we fared:
You're breathing hard and there is a good deal of smoke. Other than that, this was easy to do.
Muddy Mayhem
What this was:
Very large, deep, mud pit. Crawl through it because the barbed-wire over your head give you no other choice.
How we fared:
Not bad really. The mud was deeper than you'd expect. Just kinda crawled/swam through it all. Was COLD though :) Also this is a capped off by a small mud-hill where, for the spectators amusement I'm sure, you can attempt to (unsuccessfully for most) climb the hill without falling on your tookus. :)
Bonus pics of the aftermath!
Conclusion
Warrior Dash is a MUST do. You don't have to be in ubr-shape for this. And if you, like me, want to either kick off the last leg of your weight loss or just start a challenge, then Warrior Dash is a great way to go about it!
Just finished Warrior Dash, first one ever for me and my wife, and boy it was great! Here is a little back-story on *why* I did this and also the breakdown of our day (complete with pics).
First, a little back-story.
If you're reading this and if you know me at all, you're at least a bit familiar with my personal weight-loss journey. The following is the short version, for those of you who may not know. About a year or so ago, I started taking my health seriously. Weight-loss was a good start, I figured. And so I started. As of right now, I've lost 70lbs but I still have more to go.
So there is that.
Also if you know me, you know that I promote the Body By Vi 90-Day Challenge. I've used the convenient protein shakes for breakfast that have went along with, and helped me stay on track with, my primal nutrition. Changing my mindset about food and it's roll in my life has led to the weight-loss success that I've had. Primal nutrition and lifestyle has been my focus and the Body By Vi Challenge has provided the convenience for me to stay on track.
So there is that too :)
Where does Warrior Dash fit into all this you may ask? Well you may not be asking, but I'm assuming you did otherwise I couldn't continue this post and since I am, it must mean I'm guessing you asked :)
After losing much weight I just wanted to do "something" that kinda puts an exclamation mark in things. My friend Fred, talked to me about Warrior Dash and I was immediately hooked.
Now Warrior Dash isn't really for the timid. Its a 3-mile obstacle course with barriers that include cargo-net climbs, fire, mud-crawls and barbed-wire. GREAT fun! I highly recommend it.
So Rob, did you train for this? Cause it sounds pretty tough.
Er, um ... ah .. yes and no. I started training for it and then shiny things in life happened. Before you know it, the day of the dash was here with me wondering if I was going to even survive this thing or not.
THREE miles? I'd never ran farther than a mile in my life.
But this isn't grade-school gym class I realized. I didn't HAVE to run the entire way and my goal was completing the course, doing every obstacle .. sort of a scouting mission to see how much I liked this type of run. I wasn't worried about winning it because a *win* in my mind was just getting through it. And I have my friend Fred to thank for keeping me on track with that kind of thinking (thanks man).
Plus I got to go with my wife who surprised me by wanting to do this with me.
With my wife joining up, it DID cause us to do some training as a family. Which led to games in our yard, more family and fun. That's always a good thing!
All in all Warrior Dash was amazing-ubr-cool-super-fun with a generous dollup of mud!
For those of you still reading here is a breakdown of the barriers along with what pics we have of before and after shots :)
Barricade Breakdown
What this was:
This was a fairly simple barrier. Four-foot walls that you jump/fall over, followed immediately by barbed wire that you crawl under. Repeat about 5 times.
How we fared:
Pretty good. We'd ran a bit over a mile at this point at had some water. Running through the woods/fields over our first mile was fun and I think we were pretty jazzed up about our first obstacle. I found that a jump-butt-down-spin-move on the wall was effective followed by much grunting as I lumbered under the barb wire trying to keep my butt out of it.
Chaotic Crossover
What this was:
The tension mounts a bit higher as we come up to a horizontal cargo net. Climb up to the net's level, then crawl, roll and somehow get across.
How we fared:
Again really well. Still fairly fresh (though I'm certain our armpits were a testament to the contrary) this wasn't bad. Both my wife and I wear "those toe shoes" .. otherwise known as the coolest shoes on the planet. I felt those gave us a significant advantage in mobility. You could really feel the cargo neat beneath your feet and even hold on with your toes as needed.
Assassin's Escape
What this was:
This was basically run/climb up a set of stairs then slide down the fireman's pole at the other side.
How we fared:
Nailed it. Heather and I both wondered why some folks seemed to struggle with this one. Basically though we just stepped on their bodies and ran to the next obstacle (I'm only kidding, we didn't step on anybody, we just kicked them to the ditch).
Teetering Traverse
What this was:
Narrow ramps, up high. Think ramps to a chicken-coupe but 5 feet off the ground.
How we fared:
Again we nailed this one. I'd seen videos of this on YouTube and clearly too many city-folks have never climbed around on the farm. This was easy and we simply jogged across it.
Great Warrior Wall
What this was:
A vertical rope climb wall with some footholds. We were concerned about this one.
How we fared:
This took some strength out of us but was still doable. The knots on the rope weren't very close together so you had to have some grip strength to get up that wall. The footholds made it much easier. Not being a *huge fan* of heights though, flipping over the wall at the top to grab the ladder rungs on the way down was a tad unnerving.
Storming Normandy
What this was:
Military styled "X" barricades with barbed-wire. Basically barb n' weave is the ticket here.
How we fared:
Starting to feel the course at this point. Basically bear-crawled most of the way through this one. Picture guy at the end, so make that exit from the barbed-wire count!
Giant Cliffhanger
What this was:
Big wall. Climb hard or go home.
How we fared:
We climbed hard. This was a big wall .. just big. Probably 25 feet or so. Again our Vibrams gave us fantastic feel/traction on the ascent. Other regular-shoe-wearing folks were slipping back down. We ambled right up it though, gingerly flipped over the top, and climbed down. Tall obstacle, not for those with serious height-issues.
Satan's Steps
What this was:
Sheets of plywood, centered over 4x4 posts which were loosely set in the ground. You had to jump from post to post, landing as close to center as possible, so you could stay stable. Jumping near the edge of the plywood might make you fall 5 to 6 feet to the ground while being scraped up by the plywood as you pass it.
How we fared:
Not bad. This was a mental thing really. Though if you have short legs like my lovely wife, it can be a challenge to leap that far. The guy who nearly ran her over though (jerk) didn't seem to have a problem with the obstacle.
Deadman's Drop
What this is:
Big ladder on one side, splinter-laden plywood to slide down on the other side.
How we fared:
Not too shabby. The climb up was easy enough. The slide down the other side, well you just had to be careful. I held on with my hands, facing the plywood wall, for as long as I could, bunching my feet up under me. Once I got low enough I just kicked away from the wall, spun in mid-air, and landed. My coolest move of the day so I had to outline it here :)
Cargo Climb
What this was:
Big, big cargo net climb. Up one side and down the other.
How we fared:
This is the first of the last three obstacles. Finish line is in site at this point. So the energy comes rushing back. Once again, the ability to feel things with your feet is awesome with Vibrams. Someone ran past me saluting the Vibrams even and he was wearing some too.
What this was:
Fire. Jump high or chestnuts roasting comes early this year.
How we fared:
You're breathing hard and there is a good deal of smoke. Other than that, this was easy to do.
What this was:
Very large, deep, mud pit. Crawl through it because the barbed-wire over your head give you no other choice.
How we fared:
Not bad really. The mud was deeper than you'd expect. Just kinda crawled/swam through it all. Was COLD though :) Also this is a capped off by a small mud-hill where, for the spectators amusement I'm sure, you can attempt to (unsuccessfully for most) climb the hill without falling on your tookus. :)
Bonus pics of the aftermath!
Warrior Dash is a MUST do. You don't have to be in ubr-shape for this. And if you, like me, want to either kick off the last leg of your weight loss or just start a challenge, then Warrior Dash is a great way to go about it!
Monday, July 12, 2010
An update, a post, what next!?!?!?! :)
Though you may not have realized it, the heartbeat of Horton Hollow is still strong. That is to say, I'm still kicking. My posts have been sporadic I realize but my heart remains, to write for those that will read my virtualized scrawlings. I'm still getting my feet under me, not being one that adapts quickly to large, sweeping changes in the schedule.
I am ramping up to start back on this blog as well as starting on a business blog of my own. Additionally, I'm beginning a joint-venture business blog wherein some partners and I will be sharing some things about business-building, investing, technology, etc.
It's an exciting time for me! But busy too. Horton Hollow is where my heart is, where I can be "me" and let my (remaining) hair down and write about whatever we like. Before I sign off, let me share some updates:
I am ramping up to start back on this blog as well as starting on a business blog of my own. Additionally, I'm beginning a joint-venture business blog wherein some partners and I will be sharing some things about business-building, investing, technology, etc.
It's an exciting time for me! But busy too. Horton Hollow is where my heart is, where I can be "me" and let my (remaining) hair down and write about whatever we like. Before I sign off, let me share some updates:
- Weight loss: still a struggle but I've plenty of fight in me and I'm far too stubborn to quit.
- Business: well see above you silly-head! :) I've lots to share there and things are going well.
- Our out-building: honestly I tried to break this deal and not get it after all. Turns out though, even though I "could" get out of it, I think it's prudent to go through with it. So things are moving there. We have some plans
- Isabella and Josh: well I'm sure you'd not recognize either of them. Josh has quickly become a young man, no longer a child to be sure. And our little Isabella is crawling and trying her darndest to say something we can all understand. She turned 10 months yesterday. The times, they do be a flyin!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Walk this way .. OR .. T-minus 10 Minutes until leg failure
Today at lunch I went for a walk. Snap decision. Had intended to do what I normally do, sit and read, but instead I leapt to my feet (ok perhaps I got up slowly and wondered what I was thinking) and I took off outside.
My intention was to get some exercise, clear my head for the afternoon ahead of me, and generally try something new at lunch for a change.
It's a brisk mid 30's here today with snow flying in the air, just spitting, not really snowing good. Nice day for a quick walk really. Plus I work in what we call Old St Charles, MO. Very historic area. Lots of little interesting shops to look at, and I love to sight see and check out all the little nooks and crannies as I pass by.
So I just took off walking in this wonderful little area, enjoying the shops, taking interest in what they sold, all while keeping a good pace, one where I could feel it in my legs "just right". I had a goal to walk for 10 minutes in one direction. Kind of like swimming out away from shore, knowing I'd HAVE to "swim back" in order to get back to work on time.
Mid-way through my legs were burning nicely in the baby-cow areas. They were beginning to wake up, mooing in confusing as to what in the world was going on. What was up with all this unusual effort? They are not from California and today even if they were, they weren't happy cows.
Being an old area like this part of town is, the streets and much of the sidewalks are cobblestone or brick. In places they are extremely uneven. This made me use lot of little stabilizer muscles to walk, keeping my pace over this brisk terrain. Needless to say that about 3/4 of the way back I could feel my legs/calves getting very tired and I had to start concentrating to keep my balance really. Just being careful though to make sure each step was sure. Couldn't depend on auto-pilot anymore.
But I made it. Twenty minutes of brisk walking gets logged on my iPhone today. That plus eating much better today, following my new plan, will garner me a wildly successful day on my first day of battle.
It feels good to be trying and focusing instead of on auto-pilot and drifting.
My intention was to get some exercise, clear my head for the afternoon ahead of me, and generally try something new at lunch for a change.
It's a brisk mid 30's here today with snow flying in the air, just spitting, not really snowing good. Nice day for a quick walk really. Plus I work in what we call Old St Charles, MO. Very historic area. Lots of little interesting shops to look at, and I love to sight see and check out all the little nooks and crannies as I pass by.
So I just took off walking in this wonderful little area, enjoying the shops, taking interest in what they sold, all while keeping a good pace, one where I could feel it in my legs "just right". I had a goal to walk for 10 minutes in one direction. Kind of like swimming out away from shore, knowing I'd HAVE to "swim back" in order to get back to work on time.
Mid-way through my legs were burning nicely in the baby-cow areas. They were beginning to wake up, mooing in confusing as to what in the world was going on. What was up with all this unusual effort? They are not from California and today even if they were, they weren't happy cows.
Being an old area like this part of town is, the streets and much of the sidewalks are cobblestone or brick. In places they are extremely uneven. This made me use lot of little stabilizer muscles to walk, keeping my pace over this brisk terrain. Needless to say that about 3/4 of the way back I could feel my legs/calves getting very tired and I had to start concentrating to keep my balance really. Just being careful though to make sure each step was sure. Couldn't depend on auto-pilot anymore.
But I made it. Twenty minutes of brisk walking gets logged on my iPhone today. That plus eating much better today, following my new plan, will garner me a wildly successful day on my first day of battle.
It feels good to be trying and focusing instead of on auto-pilot and drifting.
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