I’m always looking for ways to get into better condition and lately (in the last two years) I’ve been interested in working out using just my body weight for strength training. Along with my love of running that is. The problem with weights? Gym’s are too hard to get to, often too expensive, and I like the keep-it-simple approach, especially when I have a hard time doing something. Weights are like that for me.
So I find this guy online by the name of Matt Furey who has a book and video called Combat Conditioning. His pitch is very good but the marketer in me (and I suspect anyone with a brain) recognizes that he’s a marketer of first order, with copywriting long form being his forte. Automatic distrust. Until I can independently verify his credentials and reputation I won’t fork over my money.
On that topic, most of what I can find online looks suspiciously like more internet marketing, incredibly easy for unscrupulous marketers to do, looking for all the world like someone else, while all the time being the same person. Now, I want to be clear, I AM NOT accusing Matt of this. From what I’ve read so far, I think he is legit. It’s just that I don’t like being duped and since marketing is my trade, I’m probably a little more sensitive to being duped by marketing than most. Then again, no one wants to be the sucker born every minute…
I have a great friend (we’ll call him E) who has spent more time in a gym doing strength training than most and he’s been successful with it. I particularly like that he’s in it for the function and value to his strength and agility (he was also once a practicing martial artist) vs. the typical vanity that many lift weights for.
While I wait for E to reply to me about anything he might know about Matt’s techniques, I went searching for more material. Matt’s pitch is especially compelling to me since he focuses on building functional strength and flexibility. Great things in terms of melting body fat away, converting fat into lean muscle, building strength, staying healthy and for me, improving my golf swing (flexibility and strength are both key in golf and weights training can actually hurt a golf swing). And if you’ve seen me golf, you’d know that I can’t afford for my swing to be any worse.
Ding, a light bulb went off. Online video. Youtube. I thought that maybe with all the user generated content out there, I might get a look at Matt’s three main exercises (he calls them the Royal Court) performed by someone who has tried the exercises. Hindu Squat’s, Hindu Push-ups and Matt’s version of the Bridge. I especially want (and need) the help from the bridge because I have a weak neck/back muscle that goes out far too often (usually when sleeping) and it can immobilize me to some extent for days.
Imagine what I found…
Captain America performing Matt Furey’s Combat Conditioning moves. No kidding. Without further ado, please enjoy.
Because of a send up video made on Youtube, I was able to see the basic moves performed. And with style… Check yourself, they look awfully like the written descriptions you can find of Matt’s exercises on the Internet. Further, I finally tried them out. Here’s what my testing confirmed. The one exercise that I really like to do is push ups. Actually, I hate them, but I like how I feel when I am done with them. Hindu push ups are HARD. The bridge is killer as well. As for Hindu squats? Funny enough, by total coincidence, this is how I’ve always performed my squats. They don’t seem that hard but they do give you a great workout. Do 20 or 50 and see how hard you’re breathing and how much burn you have in your legs and rear end. I can’t speak to long term results but I can see that the exercises are effective. I expect some good things and eagerly await E’s opinion (or yours).
[tags]Combat Conditioning, Matt Furey, Matt Furey Combat Conditioning, The Royal Court, Hindu Squats, Hindu Push ups, The Bridge[/tags]
I could probably write a book on all the things that I felt and thought about running my first marathon but I decided that sharing my livetwitter log that I sent on my phone during my run would be a great way to share some of the actual experience with you. Maybe later I’ll get to writing more about it. For now, just know that each one of you that helped in supporting me on my run have my sincerest gratitude. Thank you.
Of all my updates from my phone I have a favorite. It’s this twitter from when I took the virtual lead in the marathon in this post:
“Just passed leader of marathon at just over 11 miles 07:40 AM February 18, 2007″
Just to clarify, the leader of the race was passing me going the other way. My family told me after the run that they were laughing pretty hard when they read that one! I ended up getting less than two hours sleep on the eve of my run and I’m pretty proud of myself for finishing given that I had a cold. I believe this marathon will be the first of many more to come!
Begin twitter log:
Now how to get to sleep? 10:43 PM February 17, 2007
Up and at ‘em – carbing up 04:05 AM February 18, 2007
At the start line – as many port-o-lets as an outdoor concert and lines just as long! 05:44 AM February 18, 2007
In the gates! 05:59 AM February 18, 2007
We’re off! 06:07 AM February 18, 2007
Passing hojo’s on a1a and now 9th st 06:41 AM February 18, 2007
Sunrise blvd 06:41 AM February 18, 2007
@family I love u! Thank you .shit eating grin on my face at ne 16th 06:47 AM February 18, 2007
At oakland pk blvd 06:58 AM February 18, 2007
Half marothon trnd off just a little while ago. Full bore only now – foot traffic light now 07:04 AM February 18, 2007
10 miles 07:30 AM February 18, 2007
@shan getaway at se 8th:36 AM February 18, 2007
Just passed leader of marathon at just over 11 miles 07:40 AM February 18, 2007
Mile 13 @ shan with Mary now rain just started 07:54 AM February 18, 2007
16 cold wet struggle now 08:22 AM February 18, 2007
@ Lorrnz Jr. – 8 to go – let us ru n togwther now with wings on our feet! 08:41 AM February 18, 2007
Arms numb need to walk now a bit gather myself for finish – circulation in arms careful now goal is 2 finish 09:02 AM February 18, 2007
Ok arms starting to feel again – just beyond 20 mile mrk – they gave out energel @ 20 – beauty! Time to run this one out – love u Shan 09:11 AM February 18, 2007
Running with E – my man of strength thx for J-z 09:22 AM February 18, 2007
23 miles now so many pains and cramps – wow! 09:44 AM February 18,:55 AM February 18, 2007
Gotta stretcher 4 me Shan, I am at 25. 10:08 AM February 18, 2007
All finished at around 4 hrs 15 10:40 AM February 18, 2007
Feeling so much better now post marathon-+8 hours after. walking the dogs to stretch out the pummeled muscles 07:46 PM February 18, 2007
It always comes off to me as superior – and so I have a hard time applying the moniker to myself, despite the fact that 22 years as a working stiff probably qualifies me for the common use of the title in my areas of expertise. Speaking of words that I have some dislike for, there’s another: expertise. I dislike expertise for similar reasons since it implies an end-state and I believe we’re all just at varying stages of acquiring knowledge and wisdom. Who would ever want to stop learning? To me that would imply death.
For these reasons the true meaning of Amateur is most profound for me. I often coach myself to strive for a “Rookie’s verve” in things I do. When I get things right in life I can attribute them to acting as an amateur would. No amount of books, knowledge or schooling seem to make up for what this kind of attitude can have in life. I’m certainly delighted to be an amateur running my first marathon since it captures the spirit of the whole thing…quite so. In business too I would much rather act in the spirit of an amateur. Having started my own business a little over a year ago I feel I’m a step closer to that.
In doing some research for my run I have been watching a bit of Chariots of Fire. The movie has always ranked as one of my favorites and that was true long before I was a runner. As soon as I can figure out the intricacies of video encoding I’ll put up my favorite clip from the movie which shows Scot Eric Liddell winning the 400 meter race.
In the mean time I came across an academic from BYU by the name of John S. Tanner who writes about amateurism beautifully (he ties in Chariots of Fire which is how I happened across his piece). Here are some excerpts but I strongly encourage you to read the whole piece.
“Following my appointment as academic vice president, I received many kind notes from faculty colleagues. As the congratulations came in, I thought of sobering remarks by Hugh Nibley:
Anyone can become a dean, a professor, a department head, a chancellor, or a custodian by appointment—it has happened thousands of times; but since the world began, no one has ever become an artist, a scientist, or a scholar by appointment. The professional may be a dud, but to get any recognition, the amateur has to be good. ["The Day of the Amateur," Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, ed. Don E. Norton and Shirley S. Ricks (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo: FARMS, 1994), p. 303]“
and this
“The word amateur derives from the Latin for “love.” An amateur is at root a lover—a lover of sport, science, art, and so forth. It is this sense of amateur that I believe we must preserve if we are to achieve a more excellent way. There is much to recommend the professional ethic, including rigor, methodology, high standards of review, and so forth. Yet I hope we never cease to be amateurs in our professions—that is, passionate devotees of our disciplines.”
and this from Dr. Tanner on Chariots of Fire
“The film Chariots of Fire is organized around the contrast between the professional and the amateur. The movie tells the true story of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell—both gifted sprinters and both, eventually, gold medalists in the 1924 Olympics. Abrahams exemplifies the spirit of the professional: he is driven, highly coached, obsessed with winning and personal glory. Liddell, by contrast, embodies the spirit of the amateur: he is joyous, heartfelt, animated by the love of running and the glory of God. Abrahams runs on his nerves; when asked why he runs, he says winning is a weapon against pervasive anti-Semitism. Liddell runs from his heart; he says he runs for God.”
Which brings me to my favorite scene from Chariots, which includes a host of poignant moments including the one where American competitor Jackson Schultz, who understands Liddell’s intent and motivation, hands him a hand written note that includes a quote from the bible:
“Mr. Liddell, it says in the old book
“He that honors me
I will honor”
Good Luck -
Jackson Schultz”
I rather enjoyed Dr. Tanner’s description of my favorite scene from the movie where Liddell narrates to his sister about his reasons for running and his calling to evangelize in China (which he went on to do) as he runs the 400.
“We see this contrast in their respective running styles. Abrahams’ running is technically sophisticated and fierce; he scowls his way across the finish line. By contrast, Liddell runs like a wild animal across the hillsides. At a certain point in each race, Liddell leans back his head, opens his mouth, and turns on the jets—abandoning himself to the pure expression of his divine gift. This accurate portrayal of Liddell’s running style symbolizes that his running is inspired. Inspire literally means “breathed into” by God. Liddell’s inspired passion for his sport is captured by a famous line from the movie spoken to his sister Jenny, who is worried that he is forgetting his higher commitment to God and to an eventual mission to China:
“I believe that God made me for a purpose. For China. But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure. To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt. You were right. It’s not just fun. To win is to honor Him.”
and this from the previously cited Helen Thomson on Liddell’s life after his gold medal:
“Liddell retired from international athletics immediately afterwards on the grounds that he had now won the Olympics. Four years later he recorded a time far quicker than that of his successor as champion at a small meeting in Asia two weeks after the Games.”
I can think of no moniker that I’d aspire to more than amateur. How about you?
A week from today, on February 18th, 2007, I’ll wake up around 3AM and strap on my running shoes, then don my shorts and race number in preparation for my first marathon. Sometimes a marathon is just a really long run, and at other times it is an expression of something very important to the runner. For me, the latter is true. The way I look at it, the most important thing I’ll take along to my race is you – in the form of a tune. Yes, a song that I will listen to on my run. To me and many people, a song is a gift, and in this case, one that I hope will conjure up your image in my mind’s eye, where I will see you helping me to endure my race and my journey.
I am dedicating this run to my brother Lorenz Gude, Shannon’s Aunt, Mary Seery, and my dear friend David Ordin. They all have something in common for me. They all left this world before their time, leaving behind family and friends who miss them deeply. Although their lives were short, they all left an indelible impression on this place and in our hearts. Heart ache is often used to describe the loss of a love, but in this case my heart aches for loss of a brother, a family member and a friend. All of us who have been fortunate to love and be loved, have also lost someone terribly important and close to us, and I know you feel this heart ache too. Among many goals with the running of this Marathon, from the mundane to the spiritual, I hope more than anything to endure the difficulties of this race to honor their memories and their names. I want to run this marathon for them because they no longer can, and I hope I can connect with each one and remember them in the fullness of their beauty. In reaching out to you I am asking for your help in making this run. Many times when I run I connect with very important things in my life – people, memories, ideas, and often enough, great inspiration. Music for me is central to this experience and many others in my life. You might say that music is like a best friend to me. Music has held deep meaning in my life through all the good times and the bad. No matter my mood or place in the world, I can rely on music to echo and enrich my feelings in the moment, and just as easily, alter my emotions in a profound way. Music for me is life, part celebration, joy, sorrow, pain, reflection, meditation, a connection with the past, and a looking glass in to the future.
So will you please play a tune for me as I run? I would greatly appreciate it if you could think of one of your favorite songs (perhaps your most favorite) and let me know what that song is. I will then make it my goal to find that song and put it on my marathon play list. I have in mind to call on your help to keep running while I listen to your song as I also enjoy memories of our times together and also hopes for renewed friendship and connection. You need not concern your song selection with how fast or slow it is, the music genre, or time that it is from. From classical to punk, folk, oldies, rap, hip hop, electronica, soul, r&b, blues, latin, jazz, bluegrass, metal, folk, country, rock, acid, house, swing… you get the idea – I’ve listened to it all, and in all of the genres there is greatness. All that is important is that this song represents YOU. I have no doubts that the song you choose will be the right one.
Although I’m reaching out to you in e-mail I have also posted this on my blog. You can find me on the web at http://blog.julians.name. I would like to capture your song with your name on my blog. You can do this by leaving me a comment on this blog post: http://www.blog.julians.name/2007/02/11/marathons-are-methaphors-for-enduring-and-im-running-in-this-one/. If you run into any difficulty with this, please feel free to e-mail or call me. I will then post your song and your name on my blog for you (unless you request otherwise). If you would also like to dedicate your song to someone you have lost, please feel free to do so on your comment. Don’t worry about song duplicates, just because someone may have posted the same song doesn’t mean you can’t. There aren’t any rules here that you need concern yourself with. I will take all the help I can get.
One last thing. I don’t know if my message will reach all the right people. In fact – I’m sure of it. I don’t even have contact information for all of my family – never mind all the people who I may call a friend. As I write this I am still searching for addresses of people that I would like to include but that I’ve lost track of. If you would also do me the favor of forwarding this message to any family member I’ve missed unintentionally, or a person you feel I would call a friend, please do so. I would hardly want my lack of an accurate or complete address book to come between me and someone I would happily connect with.
Celebrate life!
Jules
p.s. By happenstance I made my final decision to do all this on Sunday. My sister-in-law Kristen Seery was actually the first to nominate a song for me because we had a chance to catch up on the phone as I heard about her adventures as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia and I talked about my Marathon. Her choice? Old Crow Medicine Show’s, Wagon Wheel. Just before turning in for the night my oldest son Max contacted me on IM and he quickly nominated The Stones, Gimme Shelter. So the process has begun and it is great fun already!
p.p.s. I’m going to provide some text updates during my run from my mobile phone. If you’d like to follow those updates in real time you can view my twitter.com profile here:
If you don’t already know, Nintendo released their latest game console late last year and despite its lack of graphics capability and sophistication (as compared to the Microsoft Xbox and new Sony Playstation 3) the console has taken off in sales. Most attribute its success to good value, FUN games and a new interface that lets users move their hands and arms about to control games. I haven’t tried out the Wii yet but I’ve heard of sword fighting and boxing as examples of using the new controls.
“Six weeks ago, a Philadelphia man decided to see what types of physical gains he can make by playing Wii sports for 30 minutes a day. Today he published his results and pictures. He was able to drop 9lbs, 2% body fat, and 3.5” in his waistline. Does Nintendo have the next Jared?
Julian here, wearing the hat of master of the obvious. It is one of my favorite roles. Here’s the version and subject of this particular slice of obvious that I was just playing in my head.
I was wondering today why I actually run and how I compare the idea of running vs. the actual experience. The actual act of running is at best difficult (physically) and if you’re pushing yourself hard then it can be downright painful. Despite this, when I think of running, it is more often than not a positive association. I think of quiet time, the feeling of satisfaction from accomplishing something, from the real and subjective physical and mental health benefits, and very much, the time to listen to music. Oh and one more important one: ideas usually come clear to me when running or I will find the resolve to take action on something I’m procrastinating about. Powerful stuff indeed.
These are all things that happen when I run. Most of these benefits, or things that I look forward to, are mental. Physically, running is hard. It hurts. Your muscles can burn as can your lungs. There is a period in most every run where everything starts to feel good, as the endorphins are released and you experience a runner’s high. In contrast to this, I have the exercise that I want to do but have a really hard time sticking with – strength training. This is true whether it is actually lifting weights or my more favored calisthenics that include push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, chair lifts, leg lifts, squats, etc. The idea of strength training is unattractive to me in every way. My friend Eric, who is an accomplished lifter had this to say to me once about my difficulty in strength training: “It’s hard and it’s boring – not a great combo. It takes a certain kind of individual to like it” He had a glint in his eye as he said this. No wait, that was a phone call we had so it must have been a note of something in his voice. With strength training I don’t get quiet time, I don’t listen to music (because I’m in the house), I get interrupted by any number of outside stimuli (I can’t multi-task) and I don’t usually have my breakthoughs in thinking, or the stress relief that I get with sustained aerobic activity because of the typical start/rest/start nature of lifting. There’s no continuity. When I really think about the physical work though, in many ways it is easier than running (at least how I strength train). Eric would make this point. I don’t life heavy weight or strength train like a mad man. The pain is over quickly and there is an immediate feeling of greater strength and well being from all that blood pumping into your muscles in response to the tax you’re placing on them. Hell, you can even look better right away because your muscles get pumped up. While I can imagine that a girl might not see this as a win, a guy like me who has ‘always wanted’ to be built it is highly attractive. My point is that the idea of running, despite its actual physical pain is attractive due to all the ideas I have about what it does for me and the greater pleasure that it brings. Versus my strength training which in many ways is easier physically (again my qualifier is that I’m not doing gut busting 250lb bench presses) but mentally is 50 times more daunting.
The difference in what I actually do most of the time is more based on my mental picture of pleasure and pain and it is not directly correlated to my physical reality.
I can see how this plays out in all areas of life. As a procrastinator a task that I put off for a day, month or year because of the idea of it is almost never as bad in reality. I end up, as most people do, asking myself why I didn’t get on with it earlier. I even find myself enjoying some of these tasks or challenges! Do you? Now to be fair there are tasks that we find JUST as unpleasant in reality as the idea of them. Frightfully, some are even worse. But my point is that those are actually pretty rare. The mental anguish we procrastinators put ourselves through is far worse on our mental well being than the reality of avoiding reality for prolonged periods of time.
There it is. Julian, master of the well known and obvious.
Like many ah-hah moments, there is nothing remarkable or new about this one and my mastering of the obvious is only a temporary respite from my normal mode of thinking. Isn’t it? Why do we forget our mental ah-hah’s and return to our normal mode of thinking?
My latest runs include an 8 miler for 1:06 on Tuesday 1/2/06 (my first official run of 2007) and my 6 mile run yesterday at 49:13. Mileage this week is up to 18 miles. I’ll pile on another 5 tonight (at least).
Here are the latest two just for posterity. Less than a month to go until the Miami marathon. I have to get signed up this week.
9:43 miles in 1:19:05 12/30/06 10:30AM 78 degrees, 76% humidity, Ran up to La Puerta on the Lake Trail in North Palm Beach
4 miles in 32:04 12/31/06 6PM Ran to Worth Road in Palm Beach and back.
Took the day off on New Years day.
I’m getting really bored with chronicling my marathon training runs and rather than give up the ghost all together I’ll try summarizing them a bit.
Oh yeah, and maybe I’ll even put some other content up on this blog.
12/27 8 miles
12/25 11 miles
12/24 3 miles
12/22 4 miles
The 11 miler was my easiest yet at this distance. The 8 miles yesterday was similarly easy. Probably because it was so cool. I’ve also had the good fortune to have run all four of these with Charlie tagging along on his roller blades. Thanks for the company Charlie! Charlies and I were joined on the North Lake Trail along Palm Beach last night by a red fox. He was much faster then either of us.
Went on a ‘new’ long run today and then had fun today using the USA Track and Field association’s Google Map Mashup to document and measure my run. No more driving my routes in order to figure out the exact distance!
I took it easy to pace myself and enjoyed much of the run. My route was a new one that you can review here if you’re really bored.
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano +11 miles (44 total)
Running Time: 1:31:12
Time of run: 10:45AM EST
Average Speed (mph): 8.39
Weather: 78 degree – 66% humidity (feels like 80)
Weekly mileage: 11
Aches/Pains: good but my left foot got sore after a while. I tried to start slow and keep a pretty slow even pace throughout the run so I could have some kick left at the end. I definitely finished running strong and could have kept going.
My family told me after the run that they were laughing pretty hard when they read that one! I ended up getting less than two hours sleep on the eve of my run and I’m pretty proud of myself for finishing given that I had a cold. I believe this marathon will be the first of many more to come!
