Mod·ern Vi·king (n)
1: One who sails for truth; an adventurer of the soul; balances self reflection with action; demands the most of oneself and one's tribe
2: AModernViking.com: Bookshelf for the Mind, Fuel for the Body, Valhalla for the Soul
Last week was a bust with a LOT of overtime (OT). I’ve got a packed week again this week with my partner leaving on an airplane. Although I’ll have help, it will take a lot to be disciplined. Sleep, Shakes, and Swims/Light Runs is the name of the game to get me under 230lb, and to stay there. Wish me luck!
This weekend was not the best, and yet not the worst. I did not get my workouts done per schedule, but did manage to get the furnace fixed after a day of running around. Saturday I took for play with my little one and recovery, and Sunday was another day back at work. Back at it early this morning as well, but I’m hoping to catch a workout in the PM if all goes well today.
“Do not try this at home...”
Today I was in early for a run after a late spin last night. A 12 hour shift later, my Uber driver pulls up to my house and goes, “Where is your driveway?” to which I respond, “Great question!”
My ice caked driveway has been covered with large snow drifts. Mean looking snow devils licked across the banks as though I had just l arrived on Hoth. My empty garbage can’s lid whipped, clanging as I trudged up to my door. Without a snow blower, I turned around after a quick change, and plowed out a path by hand with a shovel and prayed it would be enough for my wife the next day. This counts as cardio. Period. Passing out after two back to back shifts to prepare myself for a loaded day. I know I won’t get a morning run in, but since I haven’t seen my little one in more than two days, I’ll be going home to chase her tomorrow after work. Diet will be parimount.
Big Day at Work - Passed Out
Literally my best accomplishment yesterday was going to bed when my body was calling for it. Espresso yesterday only made me functional, serving to simply re-focusing my fuzzy eyes. As soon as I read to my little one that night, I spent 15 minutes with my partner before going to bed around 7:30pm. Falling alseep by 8PM with a sleepy pill was glorious. This morning I woke up at 5AM to my alarm, but I’m afraid the pill had a drowsy effect that put me back under until my next alarm at 5:50AM. Wow, I must have needed that!
Suited up with a workout bag that was already packed, I headed out over the snow-covered ice to the bus. Today will be a quick lunch run with an after work swim. I’ll need to make up the 45 min spin, but that might have to come this weekend or chunkated over the next few days with some extra morning or night crunch sets. Right now I’m not necessarily concerned about reps, it’s all about endurance, duration, and consistency.
As much as I hated getting off slightly yesterday, I feel successful having listened to my body and preparing myself to double down and hit it hard today.
After a marathon 12 hour day, I spun in the garage for over an hour. Done!
The heat wave has passed. It’s time to bundle up again, so let’s reflect on yesterday. Monday’s are easy. When you have the weekend to prep, it’s easy to adhere to a schedule as seen below:
When one gets home later than wanted, and has less time with the family, it’s easy to want to spend some extra time with them. I allowed myself to stay up until about 9:30pm, instead of winding down at 8/8:30pm. This snowballed to me prepping for the next day later and not getting to bed until about 10:45pm, and not falling asleep until a little later. With an alarm set daily for 5AM, this was just a little too much for me to pop out of bed this morning.
There is a balance of being rested and being burned out. Today I’ll have to readjust to get more sleep and get back to 5AM tomorrow. Now to plan how to keep all of my planned activities green:
I have the luxery of being able to possibly adjust today. Maybe run over my lunch or right after work. It was tough getting the extra 15 min strength training completed, so perhaps as it gets warmer I’ll work on getting up closer to 4:30AM to check-off before going to the gym for my morning swim and run.
I also struggled not having a dinner shake. After the extra workout, I had a headache and felt I needed food when I came home. I’ll work on tracking food more closely today, and sticking to my schedule:
Alas, try as I might and not surprisingly, I wasn’t able to get away from my work for a quick workout and the weather worsened, making me get home before a workout. On the bus ride home, I communicated with my partner about my hopes and expectations for the night to carve out 45 min to spin on the trainer instead.
Update: yeah that didn’t happen either. No workout today, but I did have a shake for dinner and did well calorie-wise. Going to bed early tonight...
10:30PM - [Scene Opens: Macbook lit] After spending waaay too long to sign up for NUT 50K and purchase flight - Go on TrainingPeaks.com to re-tweak Annual Training Plan (ATP) for 2019 and set training plan and goals (6 hours of Running, Swimming, Biking, and Strength) for next week
11PM - Lay in bed debating if I should have signed up for 100k
11:15PMish - Imagine 5k of climbing through the woods of Oregon feeling effortless
11:30PMish - Wish I had taken a sleepy pill, but too late to start now
11:45PMish - Listen to wife snore, rain starts to pound the windows [End Scene]
***
5AM - [Scene Opens: Laying in Bed] Mind Yelling “Move Legs!!!”
5:05 - “If you don’t move now, you might as well cancel that flight and race registration. These next 5 minutes will determine your success or failure over the next year”
5:09 - Body responds in begrugeoned peon voice: “Yes Me-Lord...”
5:10 - Music in, Spotify on Workout Mix, Bathroom, Weight, Multivitavin, Brush, 10oz Water, Shave (in that specific order) - Body starting to feel awake half-way through shave
5:15ish - Scramble to find backpack, coat, and cram swimsuit and work clothes in bag because I didn’t pack the night before (slept in running shorts and workout top). Can’t find sweatpants, so I run to the bus in short shorts and winter parka zipped so only my eyes show.
5:36 - Bus arrives, boast to wide-eyed bus driver that “Ten more degrees, and it’s t-shirt weather” like a real Minnesotan.
5:56 - Listen to Keanu Reeves by Logic, feel like a gangster
6:05 - Start first workout of next 215 Days [Scene Just Begins]
“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
“When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.”
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
“Understanding is simple. Knowing is complicated.”
