Day 57 - Monday thoughts

Seeing Ren's six-pack today was certainly a milestone for our PCP class. My comment was that it was "inspiring and sobering". Inspiring that I too can achieve those results and sobering with the realization of my journey still to achieve those results. But instead of feeling sorry, I turned up the gas today in the gym and pushed myself to give 110%. I also strapped the iPod back on after reading Patrick's e-mail. Pre-PCP I was a regular iPod listener in the gym but when I started the PCP I stopped listening to music during the workout in order to concentrate on the routine. Sometimes I feel the iPod can be a distraction while working out but today it wasn't and I'm going to go with it for a bit. I'll put some TOOL back on the pod and get pumping, man! In the song Parabola, Maynard sings, "Embrace this moment. Remember; we are eternal, all this pain is an illusion". Certainly a mantra for working through the burn. "What one man can do another can do!" also works. The results we are all achieving is inspiring, so lets keep at it gang, lets push the heights. Raise the roof and reach for amazement in our own ability.

PCP.S - If you haven't already, I highly recommend this weeks Zencast. Gil drops some serious science. The ideas are beautiful and inspiring.

Day 56 - Indulgence: Part 2

I indulged on Friday night. After a long week of work and busting my hump in the gym. I took comfort in the fact that I'd be having a beer on Friday night. I carefully weighed my choices and selected a beer from North Coast Brewery in the foggy town of Fort Bragg, CA. The beer in question was Old Rasputin 12th anniversary Russian imperial stout. I waited until wife and child were in bed so I could sit peacefully and cherish every sip in the late night stillness. The stout is aged in bourbon barrels causing the first few sips to be rather bold. But after holding the glass for a few minutes and allowing the brew to breath, the beer is quite complex and rewarding with strong chocolate and coffee notes.

The stout is also quite strong being 11% alcohol, after finishing the bottle, I had a slight buzz, and since the time had now reached somewhere past 11:30, I was quite sleepy and fell asleep on the couch! Old Rasputin knocked me out but while I was awake, I enjoyed every sip.

That night I had a bizarre dream that some would probably call a nightmare. I awoke wondering if the alcohol had anything to do with that. I also had a slight headache but that was nothing my morning cup of joe and an egg sandwich couldn't cure. My workout was also slightly tougher on Saturday. I wondered if that had to do with the beer or the fact that I had just spent the last 4 hours wondering around the Rutgers Folk Festival pushing a carriage under the sun. I'm chalking it up to a little bit of both.

At the moment I'm awaiting the new diets for the week and workout plans. Let's make it another back breaking week in the gym, kids.

Day 53 - PCP faux pas

About an hour before my workout today I reviewed what I'd be doing in the gym. Looking over the sheet I realized that I did "Day 53" on "Day 52". How about that? I printed out the wrong sheet and I did not notice the day number. So, today I did "Day 52" on "Day 53". Oh well. I'm hoping the cosmic order of the PCP doesn't get thrown off whack like another volcano in Iceland erupting on part of my slip up. Synchronicity, you know? I'm doing chest dips on the wrong day and many miles away something crawls from the slime at the bottom of dark Scottish lake.

Besides that slip up. Another great workout in the gym. During my jump roping today I started doing the alternating skip out of nowhere. I was having a lot of fun going from one leg to the other. Then I'd go to one leg, then the other leg, then flat footed, then fast, then slow. I now love that we are timing the jumps. It's freed up my concentration and I can work on different jumping techniques. It certainly helps at this point in the PCP to which it up a bit.

I also picked out my second indulgence today. A beautiful beer from Northern California. Oh, Friday night. Could you come any quicker? I went with a couple friends at lunch today to pick it out and there I was standing in front of a wall of about a hundred different varieties of beer. No joke. The inside of my mouth started to tingle and my throat felt bone dry. I can't wait to taste you, my sweet.

Off to sit and then finish off the night with the night fruit snack. Hope you're all well out there in PCP land.

Day 52 - Tending the garden

Overall, a great PCP day. I was able to maintain a level of intensity today with the workout routine that would be wonderful to achieve everyday but it just doesn't work like that. I've been down in the Week 8 valley and I think I'm starting to see the sun again. It's nothing too bad but the thoughts of doubt do creep in during this time. Feelings of disappointment in my past condition and realizing how bad I let myself go and the complacency of that state. Realizing that these layers of fat around my midsection represent more than just fried food and beer.

Anyway, in January I made a list of goals for 2010. The categories are financial, creative, career, physical and spiritual. The physical was my participation in the PCP. The spiritual is what I must now get down to. I committed myself to starting a regular zazen practice and I've let myself down in this category. So, instead of another night of "I'll start tomorrow". The moment is now. All the books, lectures, and podcasts don't mean a thing unless you actually sit your butt down and breath. So, I'm off to tend the garden.

Day 51 - Hard work

The workout today was extremely tough but rewarding. It took me a good hour and 20 minutes to get through everything and I was exhausted at the end of it. Last night, I slept like a log and I'm suspecting tonight will be no different. Thoughts during my workout tonight? "What one man can do another can do!!!". Every time I felt the stinging burning sensation, I maintained my breathing and yelled my mantra in my head and plowed forward. Week 8 pics are up. Godspeed, my peakers.

Day 50 - Keep it going

After the workout tonight I stepped on the scale. 208. 208. Bringing the loss total to 18 pounds. I tried Patrick's ab flex trick when I arrived home and despite the ring of old fat (still grasping on for dear life) around my waste I can see definition in my upper abs.

I think I'm very tired right now. Dinner was a red pepper, celery, a carrot, and of course, an egg white. I think I'm very tired right now. I don't know if my mind is blank, or if it's the weird ambient music I'm listening to but I feel like a blank piece of paper. Ready for a crayon or a brush or some mud to come and make an impression on. Yes, an impression. A strange impression.

I'm going to eat my snack now.

Day 49 - Results & Mysteries

With the January class of Peakers just wrapping up and our class reaching beyond the half way point I'm experiencing feelings of excitement and a bit of anxiety. Excited to see the results of those who have just finished and anxious to achieve the results that they were able to accomplish. These next 40 days are crucial in achieving my fitness goals with in the PCP.

My first timed jump today went better then I had initially expected. I never minded counting my jumps and I didn't know if I'd just start counting my jumps while I was timing them. Instead I found I wasn't thinking of a number, just glancing at the iPod stopwatch on the ground, and I was enjoying not counting my jumps. Can't help but wonder how many I did though. One of those mysteries! The mysteries of the PCP! Generally, the only mystery in the PCP is why we didn't do it sooner.

Here is to a strong week ahead. It's going to be intense from the looks of the new workout routines. Good luck, gang!